Hi, crafty friends. I probably shouldn’t have favorites, but I do, and this card is my favorite I’ve made with the Sunshine & Daydreams collection from Purple Onion Designs, beautifully illustrated by Pei. It features Beach Besties, and I paired them with the Sunrise Sunset horizon stamp from an older collection from Stacey Yacula.
I stamped Tofu and Brownie in Extreme Black ink from My Favorite Things, placed a mask over top and stamped the Sunrise Sunset with Altenew Golden Honeycomb ink. I colored in my scene and decided to try a new twist for the sky. I don’t think I’ve ever used these particular color for a sky before, but I think it worked out well.
I imagine they’re in a tropical location where the ocean has this very peaceful aqua color that fades into nothing as it reaches the shore. I tried to give the whole panel a dreamy vibe, and there’s not a whole lot of dark markers used. I did include a dark green towel and used more of the YR09 on the crab than I did on Tofu’s hat (believe it or not, it was used on Tofu’s hat, albeit in a very small amount). The greens play well together and work with the ocean, while the more corally color for the hat, seashell and crab play off the peach in the sunset.
Once my image was colored, I cut my panel down using the larges die in the Additional A2 Layers die set from Waffle Flower. I stamped a sentiment from the Sunshine & Rainbows sentiment set using second generation stamping with Memento Espresso Truffle ink. For these scene cards I create for Purple Onion Designs, I prefer a colored sentiment that doesn’t stand out too much from my scene, and second generation stamping is a good way to achieve that look.
I used an extra fine point white Sharpie to add the ripples in the ocean, and used White puff embossing powder from Wow! to create the seafoam on the beach. I added a bit of black glaze pen to their eyes, and the glaze made the crab’s eyes bigger, which made him even funnier than he was originally. I adhered my colored piece to a panel of white cardstock cut to 4 1/4 x 5 1/2″, then mounted the whole thing onto a 4 3/4 x 6″ white card base covered with a panel of Sprout cardstock from Concord & 9th.
The color palette I wanted to focus on was the Garden gate palette from Concord & 9th. It’s very summery, and I love these colors together!
Speaking of colors, I used a ton of Copic colors for this card. By the time I had colored the sky, I’d already used 11 colors; they add up fast!
For this one, I started with a panel of Lazy Day cardstock from My Favorite Things. I used one of the stencils in the Undersea Jamboree stencil set from Altenew to emboss a texture onto my panel. It was very subtle, so I put the stencil back in place and added Crystal 3D gel from Altenew over the top. This gives a fun texture, shine and a very tactile feel to the panel. Once the gel was dry, I cropped down the panel slightly, before inking up the edges with Midnight and Black ink from Concord and 9th to darken my undersea panel. The gel resists the ink I put on, making it easy to buff off the excess.
I adhered my panel to a top fold white card base I created from Stamper’s Select White cardstock from Papertrey Ink. I arranged my animals in a circle and mounted each on foam tape. I realized after I took the photos that I’ve left a bit of white on a few of the animals, particularly on the shrimp and the lobster, but I colored and fussy cut the images a month before I put the card together and didn’t remember that I’d left the white bits to deal with later. Once they were mounted with foam tape, it was too late to do anything about it, though. Live and learn, I guess.
I was originally planning on adding a black strip with a white heat embossed sentiment in the center, but I thought it would look just as good, if not better with the heat embossed sentiment directly on the background. I could use the black strip if the white didn’t work out, right? I only had one chance at this, as the critters were already glued down. I put the panel in my Misti, used lots of antistatic powder and stamped the sentiment from the Coral Reef Wonders stamp set from Altenew using VersaMark ink, before sprinkling on super detailed white embossing powder from Ranger and heat set from the back. I always do my heat embossing from the back, it gives a much smoother result than heat embossing from the front. It turned out perfect, and I didn’t have to resort to plan B with the black sentiment strip.
I added a few dew drops from Concord & 9th near the sentiment. They work well as bubbles and they add more shine. I also added black glaze and a white dot with a 05 Gelly Roll to their eyes once the black glaze pen was dry.
I added White puff embossing powder from Wow! for a seafoam look near the bottom of my panel and stamped a sentiment from the much older 
To finish off the card, I added a few sequins, gems and pearls from the Melon embellishment mix from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards.
This Tropic color combination from Concord & 9th was my inspiration for this card.
As I mentioned, I created this card using two collections: 
Once I had all my sea creatures colored and fussy cut, I put them aside and worked on the rest of the card. I die cut the Stamp Border from Gummiapan five times from Powder cardstock from Concord & 9th. The die cuts five postage stamps in a border, but I cut off one, making it a strip of four. I put two layers of white scraps behind each of the individual postage to give it a floating look. I also cut down small cardstock squares two layers thick to put behind my critters, also giving them a bit of dimension, but not as much as foam tape would add.
Once I knew how I wanted my strips of sea postage arranged, I stamped a sentiment from the Småtekster stamp set from Norsk Stempelblad AS using Capri ink from Concord & 9th directly on my card base, which I created from Stamper’s Select White cardstock from Papertrey Ink. I made a side fold card this time that is 1/2″ larger in both directions than the standard A2 card. I adhered my postage stamps, added some dew drops from Concord & 9th that kind of look like bubbles and decided to make their eyes shine. I used a black glaze pen, then went over with one small dot of an extra fine white Sharpie once the black was dry. I don’t think I’ve ever used 20 images on one card before, but this was SO. MUCH. FUN!!
I stamped and colored my image with Copics on X-Press It blending card, before using a die in the A2 Double Stitched Rectangle STAX die set from My Favorite Things to create faux stitching around the perimeter of my panel.
I masked off my image, before using Powder, Harbor and Sea Glass inks from Concord & 9th to ink blend the background through the Perfect Pool Water stencil from My Favorite Things. I flipped and rotated the stencil to create my pool water.
While I still had my mask in place, I stamped a sentiment from the 
I adhered my panel to a card base I created from Oceanside cardstock from Concord & 9th, added a layer of Glossy Accents to Tofu’s glasses and finished off with a mix of sequins and gems from the Ice Water embellishment mix from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards.
Very limited color palette for this one.
I’m also here for the Briar & Blooms die set from Concord & 9th, which honestly did most of the work on these cards. For this first card, I took my inspiration for the colors from the Summer Breeze color palette on the Concord & 9th website. They’ve got some great color resources, and this particular palette consists of Nectar, Pimento, Clementine, Clover and Harbor. I also threw in Sprout for a second green. I die cut the base of the wreath from Clover, and the remaining pieces from the other colors. I also die cut one base wreath from Rustic White cardstock from Papertrey Ink, but I only needed the inside negative part of that to stamp my sentiment on.
I used the Quilted embossing folder from Concord & 9th to create some texture behind the wreath. This embossing folder is a great one, but it was part of the 2025 Winter Retreat and is not available for purchase. Thankfully, there are other embossing folders out there which will work just as well to create some interest in the background. I adhered the embossed panel to a card base I created from the same Rustic White cardstock. I stamped a sentiment from the Flower Field stamp set from Kristina Werner using Pimento ink on that negative inside piece I’d already die cut. I adhered it in the center of the card and puzzle pieced the actual wreath around it, adding small pieces of foam tape to the outside edges of the wreath only. I finished off the card with a few Concord & 9th dew drops flanking the sentiment.
The first card was so much fun to create, I decided to make another. The example picture on the packaging for the die set is beautiful in soft, very muted tones, and I tried to pick colors that were close. Here, I used Artichoke for the base wreath, Pistachio for the remaining greenery, Spiced Cider for the large flowers and a few of the buds, Nectar for the remaining buds and the side facing flowers and finally Eucalyptus for the small flowers. Oh, I also used Buttercup for the flower centers. This is definitely a more muted palette than the first, it has a bit of a fall vibe to me.
I leaned into the fall vibe and chose to mount my wreath on a card base I created from Rustic Cream cardstock from Papertrey Ink. This is also very muted, and I love the little specks that are in the paper, creating a bit of interest. I die cut the word thanks in the Briar & Blooms die set from Champagne cardstock (also Concord & 9th), backed it with a layer of Rustic Cream and adhered it across the center of the wreath, before finishing off the card with some Satin White sequins from Altenew.
While I was working on card number two, I came up with the idea to create one more wreath in a “blossoming fruit tree” color combination. The fruit trees have just started blooming, and it’s the best thing ever. We have a blood cherry tree outside our front door that started blooming over the weekend. The apple trees (which my color combo is based on) have not started blooming quite yet, but they’re not far behind – I love this time of year! Anyway, back to the card. I don’t have the new Basil green yet from Concord & 9th (other than a small sample that was in this year’s Winter Retreat kit, which I turned into a swatch tag), but when you ink blend Parsley ink on Parsley cardstock, you get a darker color that works well. I did that, then die cut the base wreath from the dark version and die cut the rest of the greenery from plain Parsley. Once again, I used Buttercup for the centers, but I switched out the Nectar I used on the previous two cards for Ballet Slipper, which I thought worked better here. I also slipped in Sweet Pea for a few of the buds for a little more pop of color.
I loved the soft color palette so much that I wanted a soft look in the background, too. I opted for the Stippled Plaid press plate from Pinkfresh Studio and inked that up on a piece of Betterpress Bisque cardstock using Peachy Glow ink from Altenew. The soft yellow ink acts as a neutral on the cream cardstock, which in turn is a neutral on the Stamper’s Select White cardstock from Papertrey Ink that I used for my card base. I popped everything up on foam tape, then die cut the word hello once from white cardstock and once from Gold Shine cardstock from My Favorite Things. I stacked the two and stretched my hello across the center of the wreath. I tried to add a few different embellishments, but in the end, I decided not to use any – and honestly, I think this card looks great without it!
I colored the image with Copics, choosing a very bright green combo for the ground and the leaves. I didn’t want all the flowers to be the same color, so I went for a crocus look. I love all the details you get in a real crocus, but they’ve yet to bloom, I guess it’s still too cold.
I used the largest die in the Wonky Stitched Rectangles STAX die set from My Favorite Things to turn my colored piece into a panel with a fun detail along the border. then adhered it to a panel of Butterccup cardstock from Concord & 9th, which I in turn adhered to a top fold white card base created from Stamper’s Select White cardstock from Papertrey Ink.
I couldn’t find the right shade of purple in my cardstock collection, so for the sentiment, I colored a scrap piece of X-Press It with one of the colors I used on the florals. I let it dry, then stamped and white heat embossed a sentiment from the 
I decided to keep it very simple, only adding a few Iridescent Dew Drops from Pinkfresh Studio to embellish. There are a few different colors in the mix, I chose a few of the purple ones. I did also come in with a black Glaze pen from Sakura to add a touch of dimension and shine to the eyes. It doesn’t really show up in the photos, but you can definitely see it in real life.
I colored the image with Copics, adding a simple free hand background of a couple of hills with a few trees, a path for the bunny to walk on and some blades of grass in front. My original plan wasn’t a scene at all, I had planned to add a big Happy Easter die cut, but changed my mind and added the hills and sky instead. I think this looks better than what I had planned.
I used the largest die in the A2 Stitched Rectangles STAX 1 set from My Favorite Things to create a little bit of interest along the perimeter of my panel. I stamped the word spring from the 
I die cut the word HAPPY from the Birthday Script die set from Kristina Werner three times from Stamper’s Select White cardstock from Papertrey Ink (the same cardstock that I used for my card base, I love this cardstock) and stacked them. I adhered my stacked word above the stamped spring to complete my sentiment.
I decided to die cut tiny butterflies to use for embellishment. I didn’t have any cardstock in the color I wanted, so I colored scraps of X-Press It blending card with the same colors I used for the bunny’s outfit, before using the butterflies die from the Greenhouse Greetings die set from Concord & 9th (it’s a die set from the 2024 C9 summer camp). I scored my tiny butterflies down the body, adhered each of them with a tiny bit of glue and added Rosewater Jewel Drops from Tonic on the bodies of the butterflies to finish.
First up is this one. I chose an analogous color combo of Powder, Blueberry and Oceanside inks from C9, and a pop of Lemongrass for a somewhat contrasting color as my fourth. I cut the stamped panel in two, and then cut diagonal lines on each of my two pieces.
I covered a card base with Oceanside cardstock and adhered my panel pieces on top, leaving a gap between them so the Oceanside cardstock would show through.
I stamped a sentiment from the Serene Blooms stamp set from Altenew using Obsidian ink from Altenew, and die cut it using the coordinating die. I stacked another three die cuts behind the sentiment for some dimension, and adhered my stack on top of the opening between the two largest pieces of the stamped background, before finishing off with enamel dots from C9 in the same colors that I used for the stamping.
My second card features the same technique of cutting up the finished piece into smaller bits. Here, I used Sprout, Sunflower, Sorbet and Harbor inks, which makes for a way more colorful background (it’s basically a green, a yellow, a red and a blue).
I used the Waterbrush Hello die from Altenew to create my sentiment for this card. I stacked three black die cuts for a bit of dimension and stamped and white heat embossed the sub sentiment from the Serene Blooms stamp set from Altenew. I’ve just replaced my VersaMark pad, so the letters are a bit thicker than I’d like, but i really did need a new pad. I finished off with a few dew drops from C9. There was a lot going on with the background already, and the dew drops are a bit more subtle.
The final card is very different. For this one I had two full panels that I’d stamped with the Northern Shore bundle of fresh dye inks from Altenew (Polar Bear, Icy Water, Winter Lake and Arctic Mountain). I used the hexagon die in the Wild Meadow die set from C9 to cut as many hexagons as I could from the two panels and mounted them on foam tape to a piece of Blue Beyond cardstock from My Favorite Things. I then chopped off a bunch on all four sides for a nice border and adhered it to a card base I created from the same color.
The die cut sentiment is from the Just picked die set from C9. I die cut two layers from blue cardstock and the top layer from Champagne cardstock from C9, adhered my sentiment in the center of one of the hexagons and decided to skip embellishments for this card. There’s a lot going on already with all the hexagons and dimension, I felt like the card really didn’t need more.
I stamped my images (both the critters and birch tree background) on separate panels of X-Press It blending card with Copic friendly ink, colored them in and fussy cut them. Before fussy cutting the critters, I actually stamped over my initial stamping with Obsidian ink from Altenew, which gives super black lines that are extra crisp. It’s a pigment ink, though, so it needs to be stamped after the coloring. I also colored a sky and some bushes on a separate panel, where I stamped my sentiment in Blueberry Sky ink from Papertrey Ink. I cut an oval into a panel of Americana cardstock from Papertrey Ink using an old oval die from Spellbinders (Petite Ovals Large) and then created two pieces of accordion folds in the same color cardstock. I glued my background with bushes and sky to the back of the accordion pieces, the birch trees in the center, and the panel with the oval window in front. I mounted my critters using foam tape and used black glaze pen for the eyes. I then adhered my accordion to a top fold card base I created from Rustic Cream cardstock from Papertrey Ink.
I used a lot of Copics for this one. I even used B20, which is a color I’ve created myself using an empty marker, B21 reinker and blender reinker.
Papirmølla 