Card Making Retreat Friend Card

I’m excited to share the final card from the recent retreat — and that means I have officially completed all 15 cards from the Stampin' Up! Card Retreat! 🎉

Today’s card is definitely outside my usual Clean & Simple style, but that’s one of the reasons I loved making it so much.

A Little Weaving, A Little Stitching

This design has such a beautiful organic feel. We started by weaving 1/4" paper strips through a panel that had evenly spaced holes. The weaving alone created wonderful texture and dimension, but we didn’t stop there!

Using strands pulled from Linen Thread and threaded through a needle, we stitched through some of the holes to add even more detail. That bit of hand stitching really elevates the card and gives it a handcrafted, almost textile-inspired look.

While the original design included three stamped leaves, I chose to substitute die-cut leaves instead. I love how they add a bit more depth while still keeping with the natural feel of the card. Everything else, I kept true to the retreat design.

Finishing Touches

To tie everything together, we also stamped the inside of the card and the envelope. I always appreciate that extra detail — it makes the entire project feel complete and thoughtfully coordinated.

This card has such an earthy, organic vibe. It’s full of texture and detail — definitely something special. I’m sure I’ll find just the right person to send it to… someone who will truly appreciate all the work and love that went into creating it.

This was another creative stretch for me, but I’m so glad I embraced the challenge. It’s good to step outside our comfort zones and try techniques we might not normally choose. That’s where growth happens — and sometimes, that’s where our favorite projects come from.

Thanks for following along with my retreat journey. Fifteen cards later, I can honestly say it was worth every minute!

 

Forever Florals Card From Card Making Retreat

 

Two weeks ago, I had the chance to participate in Stampin’ Up!’s Virtual Card Making Retreat, and it was such a fun and inspiring experience! I’m almost finished with all the projects—only two cards left to make, which I’ll be wrapping up soon.

During the retreat, they demonstrated 15 truly over-the-top cards, packed with layers, details, and techniques. The kit itself was amazing and very generous. It included two stamp sets, one coordinating set of dies, designer paper with cut lines, pre-cut elements, a full pack of Basic White cardstock, envelopes, and embellishments. Everything was thoughtfully prepared, making it easy to focus on creating and learning.

One of my favorite parts of the retreat was revisiting techniques—some were brand new to me, while others were great refreshers. As a clean and simple card maker, stepping outside my comfort zone was a bit of a challenge, but I committed to making the cards as directed, and I’m so glad I did. It was refreshing to slow down and embrace all the details.

The card I’m sharing today is one from the retreat and it’s full of texture and interest. We embossed the background, ink blended over it, and then stamped right on top, which created so much depth. Even the envelope received special attention—ink blending over the cutout pieces made it just as pretty as the card inside!

This retreat reminded me how much I enjoy learning, experimenting, and sometimes pushing past my usual style. Be sure to stay tuned, because I’ll be sharing more cards from this virtual retreat very soon.

Thanks for stopping by and crafting along with me! 💕

Mini Slimline Card for an Instagram Hop

I’m so excited to share a Mini Slimline Card I created for an Instagram Hop! This was my very first hop, and I had so much fun that I’m planning to join in every month. Each month, we’ll be creating and sharing mini slimline cards, and I can already tell this is going to be a favorite card size for me.

So… what’s a mini slimline card?
There are a couple of ways to make one:

• Some of us start with a 6" x 6" piece of cardstock and fold it in half.

• Others use a 6" x 7" piece and fold it.

No matter which method you choose, all of these cards fit perfectly into a 3.75" x 6.5" envelope. It’s such a fun size to work with—different from standard cards but still super easy to mail.

For my card, I used the Boardwalk Fun Bundle, which felt perfect for this playful format. I started by ink blending directly onto a Thick Basic White card base using Gorgeous Grape, Highland Heather, and Berry Burst. Blending right on the base gives such a soft, dreamy background.

To add a little magic ✨, I used an Aquapainter dipped into White Craft Ink Refill to splatter some sparkly stars across the background. It’s a simple technique, but it adds so much interest and texture.

The roller coaster was stamped in Memento Black, and I added the die-cut cars and ferris wheel to really bring the scene to life. The sentiment—Happy Birthday—is heat embossed in white and popped up with Stampin’ Dimensionals for a bit of dimension.

To ground the scene, I added a small strip of Berry Burst cardstock along the bottom, and I finished everything off with a few Shimmer Star Foam Stickers for extra sparkle.

This Instagram Hop was such a great experience, and I loved seeing how everyone interpreted the mini slimline format. If you’d like to follow along and see what others created, join me on Instagram at @jeanspaperjewels. I can’t wait to share more mini slimline cards with you next month!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and happy stamping! 💖

 

Drop Down Card Fun! - Craft Roulette Episode205

I’m back with another Craft Roulette creation, this time for Episode 304, and this one was an absolute blast to make! 🎉

Craft Roulette Parameters

• Project: Drop Down

• Colors: Mahjong

• Element: Go Wild

• Random: Hand Drawn Border

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  

The Design

For this challenge, I created a three-panel drop down card using the Sweet Bugs Bundle—because when “Go Wild” is the element, cute bugs are basically mandatory! 🐞🐝 The playful critters are going wild across the panels, and yes… the mushrooms totally count as wild too.

The Mahjong color palette came together beautifully with Poppy Parade, Granny Apple Green, Old Olive, and Crushed Curry. These bright, bold colors really pop and give the card such a fun, energetic feel.

To satisfy the Random: Hand Drawn Border, I added black dashed lines around the card base. It’s a small detail, but it adds so much character and helps frame the whole project.

Measurements

• Poppy Parade Card Base: 5 1/2" x 4 1/4"

• Poppy Parade Layer: 5" x 3 3/4"

  • Embossed with the Lovely Stripes Embossing Folder

• Crushed Curry Fold-Down Panel: 9 3/4" x 3 1/4"

  • Scored at 3 1/4" and 6 1/2"

  • Accordion folded

• Basic White Panels (3): 3" x 3" each

Details & Finishing Touches

Each Basic White panel was ink blended with Balmy Blue using a retired cloud stencil to create a soft sky background. To ground the bugs, I added a 3" x 3/4" strip of Old Olive DSP along the bottom of each panel.

All of the images were colored with Stampin’ Blends, which really brought the bugs to life and tied the whole color palette together.

Final Thoughts

This was certainly a fun card to make! Craft Roulette always pushes me to stretch my creativity, and I love how it encourages using supplies in new and unexpected ways.

If you haven’t watched yet, Craft Roulette airs every Friday evening at 6:10 PM Central Time. It’s inspiring, unpredictable, and such a great way to get crafty with what you already have.

Thanks so much for stopping by—happy crafting! 💕✂️

 

Virtual Kit Challenge Party Projects 🎉

I had so much fun crafting along during the Virtual Kit Challenge party! Using the products we won, I created three projects total — two cards and one box — all featuring the bright and cheerful Striped And Dotted 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper that we won, paired with the Cake Day Bundle.

This paper pack is so colorful and happy, it practically designs the projects for you! I’ll be sharing the measurements for each project soon, but for now I wanted to give you a closer look at what I made.

Be sure to check back soon — I’ll be adding measurements and more details for each project so you can recreate them yourself!

 

Diagonal Cut Joy Fold Card | Craft Roulette Episode 302

This week’s Craft Roulette challenge for Episode 302 was such a fun one! The project parameter was Card on a Card, and I created a Diagonal Cut Joy Fold Card that is bright, happy, and full of playful details.

I started with a standard A2 card base and cut it diagonally from the top left corner to the bottom right corner. Inside, I added a smaller card measuring 8 1/2" x 3", folded in half at 4 1/4", so it hangs perfectly over the diagonal cut. It adds an interactive element while still fitting nicely into an envelope.

The color parameter was Unicorn Farm, which inspired my rainbow of soft pastel colors. For the element Light(s), I added a glimmer paper starburst to the center of the Ferris wheel and small circles along the base legs to represent glowing carnival lights.

The random parameter was Label(s). I used the Three Banner Punch along with the Happy Birthday sentiment from the coordinating Banner Sayings stamp set to create a fun, layered label.

The small card front features the colorful Beach Boardwalk Designer Series Paper, and all of the adorable images — the Ferris wheel, cars, starburst, circles, ticket, and inside sentiment — come from the Boardwalk Fun Bundle. To finish it off, I stamped the palm trees tone-on-tone using Coastal Cabana Ink on Coastal Cabana Cardstock, which adds subtle texture without overwhelming the design.

This card truly makes me smile — it’s cheerful, playful, and full of movement.

Be sure to watch Craft Roulette on YouTube every Friday at 6:10 PM Central Time, and remember…
every parameter is doable! ✨🎡🌈

 

Cute As A Bug Card

Sometimes the cutest cards really do all the work for you—and this one is proof! 💛

For this sweet and simple card, I started with one of the 4" x 6" cutouts from the Cute As A Bug Designer Series Paper Pack. I don’t usually create cards in this size, but the panel was just too adorable to trim down. I wanted every bit of that cuteness to shine!

To complement the panel, I heat embossed a sentiment from the Sweet Bugs Stamp Set using Basic White Embossing Powder on a strip of Basic Black. That crisp white embossing really pops against the black and ties in beautifully with the bold outlines in the designer paper. The panel was mounted onto a 4 1/8" x 6 1/8" piece of Basic Black, giving it a nice frame and a little extra drama.

The card base is Thick Basic White, cut to 6 1/4" x 4 1/2", which makes this a 4 Bar Card. While this isn’t a size I normally use, it was the perfect solution to keep that cute panel intact—no sacrificing details here!

To add a little texture, I wrapped a piece of natural color twine across the top. The sentiment was popped up with Stampin’ Dimensionals for just a touch of dimension. And of course, I couldn’t resist finishing it off by coloring the ladybug’s wings with Wink Of Stella for a subtle sparkle.

This card came together so easily, and that’s a great reminder that card making doesn’t have to be hard. Sometimes letting a beautiful designer paper panel take center stage is all you need. Simple, sweet, and totally worth it—just like this adorable card. 🐞✨