Blending Brushes – Stampin' With Candice

Day 25 – Yule Be Amazed – Color combo

Playful Woodland Critters + Witty Wordplay + Color Challenge #5

Today’s challenge brought together two fun themes: Yule Be Amazed—full of playful woodland critters and witty wordplay—and Color Challenge #5 using the Concord & 9th palette of Wildberry, Lakefront, and Harbor.

To match this with Stampin’ Up! colors, I chose a bright, cheerful combination of Lost Lagoon, Balmy Blue, and Melon Mambo. At first, I wasn’t sure how to bring both themes into one card. Woodland critters made me think browns and greens… not exactly what this color combo offers!

So I turned to my wall of retired stamp sets in search of inspiration—and that’s when the answer practically jumped off the shelf.

⛄️ When Snowmen Become Woodland Critters

I spotted the retired Spirited Snowmen Set (#148072) and instantly thought of one of my favorite children’s books—
“Snowmen at Night” by Caralyn Buehner, illustrated by Mark Buehner.

In the story, the snowmen come to life and play outside in the woods after dark. And that’s when it hit me:
If snowmen can play in the woods at night… why can’t they count as playful woodland critters?

With that little spark, everything fell into place.

A handmade card featuring a whimsical snowman skating on ice, surrounded by a soft, snowy background with blue hues. The snowman is wearing a colorful scarf and a hat, and there is a sentiment that reads, 'your friendship warms my heart.' The card is adorned with a sheer ribbon and decorative elements inspired by a playful woodland theme.

A greeting card featuring the phrase 'winter cheer' in bold red text on a light blue banner, surrounded by decorative snowflakes.

🎨 Coloring the Scene

To get a soft, playful look, I stamped the snowman in Black StazOn (#101406) on Watercolor Paper (#149612).

Then I used my Water Painters (#168253) and the ink pads in my three challenge colors to bring him to life. Watercoloring gave the image a gentle, whimsical feel—perfect for the theme—and made it easy to blend shadowing under him so it looks like he’s skating on ice.

For additional details, I used:

Pumpkin Pie (nose)
Pecan Pie (arms)
Basic Gray (skates)

A touch of Wink of Stella on the snowman and skates added the perfect shimmer.

❄️ Building the Background

To create the snowy nighttime feel, I used the Snowy Delights Decorative Masks (#165808) with a blending brush. The soft Balmy Blue and Lost Lagoon inks blended beautifully behind the snowman and tied the entire color combo together.

🎀 Finishing Touches

The final details pulled everything together:

Balmy Blue Sheer Ribbon (#165767)
Three Banner Punch (#167050) for the sentiment
A soft matting layer in challenge colors

The finished card is sweet, whimsical, and full of playful charm—perfect for sharing a little holiday cheer.

A whimsical snowman with a pink and teal scarf and a carrot nose, smiling while skating. The image is outlined with glitter for added shimmer.

A promotional image for the 30 Day Christmas Card Making Challenge, featuring color challenge #5 with swatches of Wildberry, Lakefront, and Harbor.

👉 You can shop current Stampin’ Up! supplies and tools here:
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A beautifully crafted Christmas card featuring a window scene that displays a peaceful nativity setting on one side, while the inside is adorned with cozy holiday elements like hanging stockings and warm colors.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

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November 25, 2025

CandiceLeave a comment

Day 23 – Elfie Time!

Fun Fold Gift Card Holder + Sketch Challenge #5

Today’s theme was Elfie Time, and the moment I read it, I knew exactly which stamp set I had to pull out—my beloved retired #Elfie (#150509). Pairing it with Sketch Challenge #5 inspired a playful twist: a Fun Fold Gift Card Holder!

This design is so easy to create and perfect for the holidays—because who doesn’t love receiving (or giving!) a cute handmade gift card holder?

I shared the full tutorial during a live in the Card A Day in November 2025 group as well as on my YouTube and Facebook pages. If you missed it, no worries—you can still catch the replay. And huge thanks to Kevin for inviting me on to share this project!

🎁 How to Make the Fun Fold Gift Card Holder

This fold comes together quickly and can be decorated for any theme or season. Here’s the basic template:

Card Base

Cut: 9-1/2″ x 5-1/2″
Score at: 3-1/2″ and 7-1/2″
This creates:
A 3-1/4″ panel (the main front)
A 4-1/4″ panel (the inside)
A 2″ flap (perfect for the pocket)

Belly Band

Cut: 1-1/2″ x 8-1/2″ (or longer depending on embellishments)
Wrap loosely around the card so it slides easily.

Gift Card Cutout

You’ll need circle punches or dies:

1-3/4″ for the pocket opening (#119850)
2″ for the decorative circle layer (#133782)

Interior Layer

If you’re using a different color inside:

Cut 2-1/2″ x 5-1/4″
Make sure it extends past the punched opening for a clean look.

Tools That Help

Bone folder (#102300)
Tear & Tape (#154031)
Mini Glue Dots (#103683)
Mini Stampin’ Dimensionals (#144108)
Circle punches/dies

And then… decorate to your heart’s content!

🧝 Elfie Samples

Of course I made more than one! Here’s what I used:

Elfie Cards

Color combos:

Poppy Parade, Pool Party, Summer Splash
Others:
- White Baker’s Twine (#155475)
- Real Red & White Peppermint Embellishments (#164050)
- Strawberry Slush and Pretty in Pink Gems (#165615)
- Forever Plaid Embossing Folder (#164049)
- A Little Cheer (#166121)
- Stylish Shapes Dies (#159183)
- Wink of Stella (#141897)
- Blending Brush (#160518)
- Masking Paper (#155480)
- Blends – Poppy Parade, Summer Splash, Pool Party, Pecan Pie, Petal Pink, Pretty in Pink

Both versions turned out adorable and festive!

A handmade holiday gift card holder featuring a playful elf design, with a red and teal color scheme and a greeting saying 'A Holiday Hello'.

A Fun Fold Gift Card Holder featuring a playful elf design with a greeting that says 'A Holiday Hello' on a light blue background.

❄️ Additional Sample – Christmas Cuties

I also made a version using the retired Christmas Cuties (#139787) paired with the Need for Tweed Designer Series Paper (#166144) for a quick, textured background.

Color combo:

Mossy Meadow, Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler
Others:
- Real Red Baker’s Twine (#164051)
- Shimmer Star Foam Stickers (#166202)
- A Little Cheer (#166121)
- Perennial Postage Dies (#162607)

A different look but just as charming!

A handmade gift card holder designed for the Christmas season, featuring an elf illustration, festive patterns in red and green, and the greeting 'Happy Christmas.'

A festive handmade card featuring a cheerful elf character, surrounded by red and green decorative elements. The card includes the text 'Happy Christmas' and is embellished with twine and stars.

🎄 Do You Love This Fun Fold as Much as I Do?

I adore how quick and adaptable this Fun Fold Gift Card Holder is, and I can’t wait to see what you create with it!

If you try this fold, please share your photos—I love seeing everyone’s creative twist on the design.

👉 You can shop current Stampin’ Up! supplies and tools here:
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Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Contact me today to place your order!
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andersoncandice@hotmail.com

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November 23, 2025November 26, 2025

CandiceLeave a comment

🎄 Day 13 – Pastel Christmas Magic ✨

Day 13 brought a little extra Christmas magic with a pastel color palette full of sparkle and another fun sketch challenge!
I absolutely love the opportunity to create a holiday card using soft colors that aren’t typically associated with Christmas — it gives such a calm, whimsical feel. 💕❄️

Two handmade Christmas cards featuring pastel colors. The left card displays a decorative tree with a Christmas sentiment, while the right card features a swirled background and another tree design.

Graphic announcing Day 13 of a 30-day Christmas card making challenge, featuring a light blue background with snowflakes, a placeholder for a card sketch, and a ribbon design.

The Decorative Trees Stamp Set (#164275) was perfect for this challenge, paired with some soft ink blending using our Blending Brushes (#160518). I ended up making two different samples, each with its own pastel charm.

💙 Card 1 – Silent Snow Pastels

A pastel Christmas card featuring a decorative tree with colorful embellishments and a sentiment that reads 'MAY YOUR DAYS BE MERRY' against a soft background.

A pastel Christmas card featuring a decorated tree with gemstone accents and a sentiment that reads 'MAY YOUR DAYS BE MERRY' on a softly blended background.

For my first card, I used the Silent Snow Specialty Designer Series Paper (#166062) and lightly blended Pool Party ink over the snowflake design to make them pop. I paired it with Bubble Bath and Summer Splash for a soft, dreamy mix of colors.

To add sparkle, I brushed on Wink of Stella (#141897), tied a bow with White Ribbon (#165562), and finished it off with Frosted Iridescent Dots (#165766). The result is a delicate, snowy scene that feels fresh and serene. ✨

💜 Card 2 – Swirled Ombre Snowfall

A whimsical holiday card featuring two pastel decorative trees against a swirled purple and teal background, embellished with 'Happy Christmas' sentiment and decorative dots.

A close-up of a pastel colored Christmas card featuring two decorative trees, a pink bow, and the sentiment 'Happy Christmas'.

For the second card, I created a swirled background using the So Swirly Embossing Folder (#163791), then blended an ombre background with Pool Party, Petunia Pop, Bubble Bath, and Summer Splash inks.

I added a layered snowy scene with the Light & Wonder Dies (#165762) and brushed on a touch of Wink of Stella for shimmer. To finish, I added Frosted Iridescent Dots and a bit of Petunia Pop Iridescent Ribbon (#166203) for extra sparkle.

For the sentiment, I stamped “Happy Christmas” from the Gift of Joy Stamp Set (#169238) and used the Three Banner Punch (#167050) to create the perfect banner accent.

Both of these cards share the same soft, peaceful feeling — proof that Christmas magic shines just as brightly in pastels and shimmer as it does in traditional red and green. 💗💙💜

👉 You can shop current Stampin’ Up! supplies and tools here:
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Contact me today to place your order!
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andersoncandice@hotmail.com

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November 13, 2025November 16, 2025

CandiceLeave a comment

🌟 Day 4 – A Creative Challenge: Nativity Night Meets Stocking Surprise

Today’s Christmas Card Challenge really pushed me to get creative! I wanted to see if I could combine two completely different themes into one cohesive design — and I love how it turned out.

✨ #ACardADayInNovember2025 – Nativity Night – peaceful starry sky, manger scene, or “O Holy Night”
🧦 #30DayChristmasCardMakingChallenge – Stocking Surprise – Hanging stockings or hidden treats.

I’ve been wanting to create a window card using the Arch Dies, and this felt like the perfect opportunity. My goal was to design a card that tells a story — looking out the window, you see a peaceful nativity scene, while inside there’s a warm, cozy holiday setting complete with stockings hung and ready for Christmas morning.

This project reminded me how much I love finding ways to blend techniques and themes. Sometimes the best ideas come when you push yourself just a little outside your comfort zone. 💖

A handmade Christmas card featuring a window design with colorful stockings hanging, a serene winter scene visible through the window, and a decorated pine tree at the bottom.

Graphic promoting the Christmas Card Making Challenge, featuring the text 'Day 4 Nativity Night' against a snowy blue background.

✨ Supplies & Details

This card took a little extra creativity — and a lot of wonderful products! I loved mixing and matching textures, colors, and dies to bring this cozy Christmas window scene to life. Here are the main supplies I used:

🪞 Dies & Embellishments:

Light & Wonder Dies (165762)
Everyday Details Arches Dies (164629)
Lights of Aurora Designer Series Paper (165755)
Peaceful Garden Glimmer Paper (165929)
Window Sheets (142314)
Exposed Brick 3D Embossing Folder (161600)
Wink of S tella Glitter Brush (141897) ✨
Pine Tree Trimmings Bundle (166047)
A Merry Hello Stamp Set (Retired – 153615)

🖌️ Tools & Coloring:

Blending Brushes & Sponge Daubers
Stampin’ Blends in Balmy Blue, Azure Afternoon, and Highland Heather

🎨 Ink Colors:

Balmy Blue
Early Espresso
Old Olive
Mossy Meadow

I loved how these products worked together to create depth, warmth, and sparkle — from the soft shimmer of the glimmer paper and ribbon to the textured brick background and peaceful glow behind the window.

👉 You can shop any of the current products directly through my Stampin’ Up! store:
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November 4, 2025

CandiceLeave a comment

Loveliest Layers Decorative Masks

I don’t know about you but sometimes I like to have cards on hand that are just basic with no words in them. This way I can write whatever I want for any occasion or I can add a sentiment inside at the time that I need the card. The Loveliest Layers Decorative Masks are featured in the Mini Catalog and were and item that we could get for free during Sale-a-Brations. I chose to get mine for free and this was the first time that I’ve had the chance to use them. They are so easy to use with our blending brushes and I thought they were perfect to make this type of card. You may also notice some new products on this project. That’s right I received my catalog pre-order (one of the many perks of being a demonstrator) and thought this project would be perfect to try out some of the new colors and ribbons.

One of the cool things about these masks is there is no need for two different colors. Because you are going over the top of each other and because you are using the blending brushes you have control of the amount of ink you apply to the project. This makes it easy to get the contrast on the flower and leaves with only two colors. The base of the card was also created using the masks. I finished the card off with some of the new in-color ribbon that you will be able to purchase in May with the new catalog. The flower and ribbon are both using one of the five new in colors – Moody Mauve. This color is so different from what we have in our collection. I think you are going to love using it.

160517 – Loveliest Layers Decorative Masks (R) (M)
161630 – 3/8″ Textured Ribbon Moody Mauve (N)
153611 – Blending Brushes (C)
160518 – Small Blending Brushes (C) (M)
160519 – Blending Brushes Storage (C) (M)
Colors – Old Olive (C), Basic White (C), Moody Mauve (N)

(R) Retiring, (C) Carrying Over, (M) Found in the Mini Catalog, (N) Found in the New Catalog Available May 2, 2023

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April 23, 2023

CandiceLeave a comment

Greatest Journey

Have you ever fallen in love more with the dies than with the stamp set?

That is how I felt when I first saw this suite. It was the dies that drew me to them. Maybe because my family is very outdoors and we love to camp, hike and bike and I thought these would be perfect to make cards for them and scrapbook pages. When I started to play with this stamp set I really wanted to use the blending brushes in a unique and different way. I chose to use the dies to cut out a template that I held to create a layered effect on the card. Rather than having a blended look by using the template I was able to create depth to the background without adding more layers. I finished it off by layering cardstock that I embossed the saying on with white embossing powder and the used one of the die cut images as a focal point.

I originally created this card as a swap with my Stampin’ Up! team and I’m happy to report that I was one of the winners of the swap with this card. Here is a close up picture where you can see the detail better.

After creating the card for the swap I decided I wanted to see what I could come up with using some of the other images and sayings in the set. Here’s what I came up with. What do you think? I still like the first one the best, but I like these as well. I know I’ve said this before, but I’m sad this one didn’t carry over from the mini catalog as I think it’s a great set and I love the dies.

160588 – Greatest Journey (R) (M)
160593 – Greatest Journey Dies (R) (M)
160594 – Greatest Journey Bundle (R) (M)
160597 – Three Twine Combo Pack, Pumpkin Pie, (R) (M)
160518 – Small Blending Brushes (C) (M)
153611 – Blending Brushes (C)
160519 – Blending Brush Storage (C) (M)
155554 – Stampin’ Emboss Powders, White, (C)
129053 – Heat Tool (C)
147277 – Craft Stampin’ Ink, White (C)
Colors – Mango Melody (R), Cajun Craze (C), Orchid Oasis (C), Highland Heather (C), Starry Sky (C), Basic Gray (C), Basic Black (C), Basic White (C)