July 27, 2026

3 Easy Handmade Cards with the Stampin’ Up! Extraordinary Life Bundle

 Have you ever looked at a stamp set and thought, “That’s cute, but I wouldn’t know what to do with it”?

Or maybe you’ve seen a product labeled for scrapbooking and immediately passed it by because you’re a card maker—not a scrapbooker.

If that sounds familiar, you are not alone. Sometimes the hardest part of card making isn’t the actual stamping. It’s knowing where to begin without feeling overwhelmed by all the possibilities.

This week, I used the Stampin’ Up! Extraordinary Life Bundle to create three easy handmade cards. Although this bundle was designed with memory keeping in mind, its butterflies, flowers, notebook paper, frames, hearts, and other playful elements work beautifully on cards, too.

These projects are simple enough for a newer stamper while still offering enough layers and interesting details to make an experienced card maker smile.

Start with One Simple Idea


You don’t need to see the entire finished card before you begin. Sometimes you only need one element that catches your attention.

For the first card, that starting point was the notebook paper die cut. I paired it with a colorful butterfly, a bright heart, and the “Happiest Birthday Wishes” sentiment.

The Golden Glow background was stamped with a small honeycomb image in the same color ink. This tone-on-tone stamping added texture without creating more visual clutter.

That is a helpful trick when you want your card to feel more finished but don’t want to introduce another color or patterned paper. Simply stamp a small image repeatedly using ink that matches your cardstock.

The butterfly was colored with Hydrangea Hue and Cloud Cover Stampin’ Blends, but I kept the coloring intentionally simple. You don’t need elaborate shading to create a beautiful focal point. A little color and a few Stampin’ Dimensionals can make an image pop.

Make Coloring Easier with Blending Brushes


If coloring stamped images makes you nervous, the second card includes a wonderfully forgiving technique.

Before stamping the butterfly and flowers, I used Blending Brushes to add soft circles of Pool Party and Crisp Cantaloupe ink to Basic White cardstock. Then I stamped the images directly over the blended color.

That’s it—instant color without carefully staying inside the lines!

This technique is especially helpful when you are short on time or don’t feel confident using markers. The soft, imperfect color creates an artistic look without requiring precision.

I layered these images with a vellum circle, a Pretty Peacock frame, a notebook paper die cut, and a heart featuring the “Sending You Hugs” sentiment. The result has plenty of detail, but every step is manageable.

And isn’t that what we really need from our creative time? A project interesting enough to feel satisfying, but not so complicated that it becomes another source of stress.

Let Patterned Paper Do Some of the Work


The third card may be the simplest of the three, but it certainly doesn’t look plain.

I started with a full card front of Beautiful Ordinary Life Designer Series Paper. A second pattern from the same package was added diagonally, along with a strip of Basic White cardstock for the stamped butterflies and birthday greeting.

Using coordinating patterned paper removes much of the guesswork. The colors and patterns are already designed to work together, so you don’t need to spend your limited creative time trying dozens of combinations.

I added soft areas of Pool Party, Daffodil Delight, and Crisp Cantaloupe ink around the butterflies with Blending Brushes. A few small butterfly embellishments completed the card.

Quick, colorful, and completely achievable—even after a long day.

What Happens When a Card Goes Wrong?

I have to tell you about the mistake I made while creating the original version of the third card: I decorated the card base in the wrong direction, so it opened backward!

Yes, I make mistakes, too.

Fortunately, the decorated panel can be trimmed from the card base and attached to a new one. The project isn’t ruined, and the supplies don’t have to be wasted.

If you’ve ever made a crooked cut, stamped something upside down, or assembled a card backward, please don’t let that convince you that you aren’t creative. Mistakes are part of making things with your hands. Most can be covered, trimmed, flipped, or turned into a new design feature.

Your handmade card does not need to be perfect to make someone feel remembered and loved.

Use a Card Sketch When You Feel Stuck

One of these cards began with a card sketch, although the finished design looked quite different from the original layout.

That is exactly how sketches are supposed to work. They aren’t rigid instructions—you can treat them as a starting point.

Try changing the shapes, rotating the layout, replacing a circle with a butterfly, or using patterned paper where the sketch shows cardstock. You don’t have to copy it exactly. Let it give you just enough direction to begin.

The next time you sit down to stamp and your mind goes blank, choose one sketch, one stamp set, and three coordinating colors. That is more than enough to create something wonderful.

Which of these Extraordinary Life cards would you make first: the layered birthday card, the Sending You Hugs card, or the diagonal butterfly birthday card? Leave me a comment and tell me your favorite. Be sure to save this post for the next time you need a little creative jump-start!

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July 20, 2026

3 Easy Lily of the Valley Cards for Every Kind of Crafter

 Have you ever fallen in love with a stamp set, only to bring it home and wonder what on earth you should make with it?

The Stampin’ Up! Lily of the Valley Bundle makes that decision much easier. Its delicate flowers can look soft and simple, bold and modern, or beautifully elegant depending on the colors and techniques you choose.

During this week’s Stampin’ Sundays with Katrina, I created three handmade cards—including an easy Z-fold birthday card. Whether you’re new to stamping, short on crafting time, or simply looking for fresh card-making inspiration, you’ll find an idea here that you can recreate.

An Easy Z-Fold Birthday Card That Stands Up for Display

The first project is a Z-fold birthday card featuring Pretty Peacock cardstock and the gorgeous Valley in Bloom Designer Series Paper.

A Z-fold is one of my favorite fun folds because it looks impressive without requiring complicated cutting or scoring. The card base is simply scored at 4 1/4" and again at 2 1/8". Fold the card in half as usual, then fold the front panel back on itself.

That’s it—you have a Z-fold!

I used two Everyday Arches die cuts for the front and inside of the card. The front arch features the large die-cut lily of the valley and a “Happy Birthday” greeting. The matching arch inside provides a place for the message, “To one of the nicest people I know,” along with a handwritten note.

Here’s an important assembly tip: when attaching a shape across the front fold, add adhesive only to the section touching the narrow front panel. Otherwise, you may accidentally glue your card closed. I lined up the front arch with the one inside before pressing it into place.

This card stands beautifully on a mantel, desk, or shelf—perfect for the person who loves to display and save handmade cards.

A Quick Card for Busy Crafting Days


The second card is proof that a quick card can still be absolutely beautiful.

I started with a Thick Basic White card base and added a Pool Party layer. The background combines two coordinating papers: a leafy pattern from the Valley in Bloom Designer Series Paper and a tone-on-tone design from the Luxe White Specialty Designer Series Paper.

The specialty paper is lovely on its own, but I wanted its subtle pattern to stand out. Using a blending brush, I added Balmy Blue ink to the center of the paper. The color gently settles around the raised design, making the pattern easier to see while keeping the background soft.

The small lily of the valley image was stamped in black and colored with Pool Party and Granny Apple Green Stampin’ Blends. Two overlapping circular die cuts create the focal point, with the smaller circle holding the simple “Happy for you” greeting.

This design is a great card recipe to save. Choose two coordinating patterned papers, add a simple stamped image, and finish with two layered shapes. You can easily adapt it for birthdays, congratulations, thank-you cards, or thinking-of-you cards.

And yes, we decided it needed rhinestones—because a little bling makes everything better!

Create Texture with Torn Two-Tone Cardstock


The third card has a bolder color combination, pairing Basic Beige with Pretty Peacock, Blackberry Bliss, and Granny Apple Green.

For the background, I tore a strip of Blackberry Bliss two-tone cardstock. This cardstock has a white core, so tearing the paper toward yourself exposes that white edge. It creates texture and contrast without adding another layer or specialty tool.

If you want a rougher, more organic appearance, gently distress the torn edge with your fingers after tearing it.

I stamped the large lily of the valley image in Granny Apple Green and used a Blender Pen with a small amount of Balmy Blue ink to shade the base of each white flower. Lily of the valley blossoms are naturally white, so they didn’t need to be completely colored. That little hint of blue was enough to give them depth.

The separate leaves were stamped tone-on-tone on Granny Apple Green cardstock, die cut, and layered behind the flowers. A Pretty Peacock geometric die cut added another bit of interest in the background.

The finished “So grateful for you” card is a wonderful reminder that you don’t always need to color every part of a stamped image. Sometimes a little shading is all it takes.

One Bundle, Three Completely Different Looks

What I love about the Lily of the Valley Bundle is its versatility. We created a dimensional birthday fun fold, a quick and airy “Happy for you” card, and a rich gratitude card using the same bundle.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by a new stamp set, try choosing just one element to change on each card:

  • Use a different color combination.
  • Switch between stamped and die-cut flowers.
  • Add a simple fun fold.
  • Combine patterned paper with a subtle coloring technique.
  • Change the sentiment to fit the cards you need most.

You don’t need hours of free time or a craft room full of supplies to make something meaningful. Start with one beautiful image, keep the layout manageable, and let the paper do some of the work for you.

Which of these three Lily of the Valley cards would you make first: the Z-fold birthday card, the soft “Happy for you” card, or the torn-paper gratitude card? Leave me a comment and let me know. Be sure to save this post for your next creative afternoon, and grab the coordinating printable tutorial so you can craft right along with me!

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