Happy Friday, crafty friends! It's release day at Pinkfresh Studio, and we are so excited to bring our first stamp & die release of 2020 to you! This release has a very floral & botanical feel, with a great mix of coloring, ink blending and stamp layering options. We made sure that this release would be a perfect fit with the 48 premium dye inks that we recently released. There are also 14 new standalone die sets that we think you will leave you swooning! There is really something for everyone in this release. Here is a look at all the new products!



We've got a fantastic blog hop lineup and prizes at every stop! I'll get to all of that info at the end of my post, but how about we get to my cards first? I didn't get to every single item in this release before having to leave for Creativation, but it's a good start!

I started by using the new Layered Bouquet stamp set and coordinating die. I stamped it with our premium dye inks in the following colors: Coral Reef, Passion Fruit, Mint & Meadow. I paired the stamp set with the amazing word die from the Phrase Builder: You die set.

You are also getting a peek at two more brand new products that will be releasing in February. We debuted them at Creativation, but just in case you've missed it - we will be releasing red rubber background stamps & our amazing detail black ink. We worked on this watercolor & copic friendly ink formula for a year until it was PERFECT. I can't wait to share more about these items in February!

One tip I have for using this set, is to diecut first and then stamp. Use the block you cut it from as a jig in your MISTI, and you will get perfect stamping every time!

The first thing I do when creating for a release is stamping any coloring images three times: once in detail black, once in fadeout ink, and once heat embossed in gold. I don't typically color all three right away, but it gives me options. Often why you don't see videos from me when it comes to coloring is because I do a lot of coloring when I am waiting for appointments, on calls, or while watching TV. It is just an efficient way to use my time.

For the next two cards, I have used two of the stamped versions of the Full Bloom stamp set and coordinating die. For this first one, I paired it with the Sentiment Suite: Happy Birthday die set from this release, and the Essentials: Ornate Banner die set.

This card features no-line coloring using my Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers. I diecut just the words from light gold glitter paper & cardstock, then stacked them & adhered together with a Zig pen. I arranged them to the front of an A2 cashmere colored card base, along with the largest Ornate Banner diecut from white cardstock.

The final step was accenting with our Essentials: Jewels Mix in yellow, pink & light blue. 

The next card features the same stamp set, but I used the gold heat embossed version and painted it with our liquid watercolor in Candy Apple, Bubblegum, Emerald City & Key Lime. I paired it with the Phrase Builder: Sending die set to create the Hugs & Kisses sentiment.
This was created very similarly to the card above, but I splattered white & gold paint to both the painted image and red card base to give it a more artsy feel. The words were diecut from shiny gold paper this time, and stacked white cardstock cuts.

I completed the sentiment with a puffy ampersand sticker from the My Favorite Story collection, which will be available for purchase soon. And of course, the final step was accenting with our Essentials: Jewels Mix in dark pink, gold & white.

Here is a look at both cards together! Same stamp set - very different look. There are SO many possibilities!



I used the gold heat embossed version for this, and with the leaves & florals being fairly small, it was super easy to color in. I also stamped the sentiment directly to the ink blended card base in our detail black ink. As I've already mentioned, this will be available in February!

I did finish by accenting with our Essentials: Jewels Mix in dark pink, light pink & white.

I used the shadows on this card so you can see how they look together!
Those are all the cards I have to share with you today! How about we get to all the info you need for this new release!
You have the chance to win a $25 gift card sponsored by Pinkfresh Studio from my blog {and all the other posts on the blog hop too!} - all you have to do is leave a comment!
You also have the chance to win the full release on the Pinkfresh Studio blog {linked below} and our Instagram feed. You have until Thursday, January 30th to leave your comments. The winners will be picked & posted to the Giveaway Page on Friday, January 31st, and you must follow the instructions on that page to claim your prize.

Our entire card team and some very welcomed guests have been crazy busy creating inspiring projects using all these new Essentials dies! You are going to LOVE hopping along this blog hop! Here is a full link list, and please note that there is a second page of links. It's come to our attention that the Inlinkz lists aren't always showing up in all browers, so you can also view the entire link list HERE.


Before you move along to the next stop on the hop, I wanted to invite you to follow me on social media. I would love to be crafty friends!

Happy Hopping, and have a great weekend!

Happy Friday, crafty friends! It's always a happy day when we are celebrating a brand new release from Simon Says stamp, right?! Their latest collection is called Hey Bestie, which pairs beautifully with their Love You More release from December! SSS is also giving a cute Friends Outline die free with $50+ purchase using the code BFF489. This is valid until Sunday, 01/12 at 11:59pm or while supplies last.

This is day 1 of the Hey Bestie and Love You More Blog Hop, and we've got quite the lineup for you! I will put all of the blog hop details at the end of my post, but how about we get to my card first? I was so happy that this gorgeous Peony stencil from CZ Design was included in my shipment! Peonies are my favorite flowers, and while I love winter - I do get excited to see my peonies bloom in late spring. For this card I softly ink blended the petals & leaves with Distress Oxide inks! I've linked the specific colors used on my cards in the link list at the end of my post.

I started the card with ink blending. Once finished, I sprayed the card down with some clear shimmer spray. I let that dry, then diecut the panel with the largest Essentials: Stitched Rectangle die.
Next I diecut the You Are Loved sentiment. I diecut the shadow layer from Bazzill vellum. Then I diecut the sentiment layers twice: once from glitter paper and once from white cardstock. Then I stacked & adhered all of the pieces together with a Zig glue pen.

At this point it was time to put the card together. I mounted the ink blended panel to the front of a pink A2 card base with foam adhesive. Then I adhered the diecut sentiment to the front with thin foam strips. Finally, I accented it with the Essentials: Jewels mix in light pink, purple & white.
That is everything I have for you today! If you have any questions about my card, feel free to leave them in the comments and I will be sure to reply.

I am so happy to announce that I will be representing Pinkfresh Studio and teaching classes at this year's JunkieFest in Minneapolis, MN. Join us, and many other amazing companies & designers, for 3 1/2 days packed with stamping, diecutting and crafting fun!

You can start getting all the details on the JunkieFest 2020 blog, and be sure to subscribe so you don't miss any info...including registration dates & times!

My class will be focused on cardmaking with our stamps, dies, inks and mixed media products. We are still working on the class content, but be ready for some exclusive products only for JunkieFest 2020 students, so much inspiration and TONS of fun!

I attended JunkieFest 2019, and it was AMAZING! I did a challenge, along with a Make & Take for Pinkfresh Studio, and it was SO much fun! Then I attended classes as a student, so I could understand the format and see some class do's and dont's. I had a great time in class, and I learned so much in most of them! I can't wait to be an instructor this year, and get to hang out with my favorite people doing my favorite thing - creating with Pinkfresh Studio products! I hope you will be able to join in on the fun, and attend this year! Be sure to pick a block with my class in it! ;)

Happy New Year, crafty friends. It feels like just yesterday we were ringing in 2019, and here we are in 2020...and in a new decade. The last decade was probably the worst & best decade of my life. Losing a baby not once, but twice...it was like walking to hell and back. Two times. I will never understand why, and I don't know that it's meant to be understood. I think it's just meant to be carried. I have no idea how the composer, Horatio Spafford, wrote the hymn "It Is Well With My Soul". He penned that hymn just days after losing all 4 of his daughters, while sailing to his grieving wife, who survived the tragedy. 4 years after losing Ellie, and 3 years after losing Layton...it is not well with my soul. While the soul crushing pain is lighter, I don't know if I will ever be able to say it is well with my soul. I expected to raise those babies. To make a million memories with them. To see who they would become. So many things...and I lost all of it the days they died.

It's not easy to leave the only decade that my babies lived in, but as I do every year, I will continue to bring them with me. While I was only graced with their presences for a mere moment, it's the best gift I've ever been given. And I would walk to hell and back a million times over, if it were the only way to keep those moments. My faith, my grief and how I deal with it may look very different from Horatio, but I am certain of one thing. I know that I will spend eternity with my little ones when my time is done, and I am on the other side of the veil. Until then, I will speak of and keep the memories of both Ellie & Layton alive. It's the only way I know how to be their mom.

Before I get to today's card set, I wanted to let you know that I will do a Layton's Legacy update and get the winners posted in the next couple of days. I need to thank you for your grace - it's been a hard season for me this year. And GoFundMe is a lot harder to get funds from than YouCaring, so that didn't make things any easier. I am happy to say that the gift cards have been purchased, and the check to Ronald McDonald House has been written...and I will give you a complete update very soon. Thank you for being patient.

I've created a set of New Year's cards today, using some really beautiful products from Alexandra Renke. I also did a video tutorial for them too! What?! I told you I would be dusting off the cobwebs on my YouTube channel in 2020, and I thought it was a good idea to start the year off right!I am using some really gorgeous papers, along with a mix of stamps & dies to create both of these cards.

I would love for you to watch my card come together today. You can view my video below, or HERE in HD. It's a little bit long, as there are 2 cards and I don't really love to speed it up. I used to do that, but honestly...it's hard to voiceover. So, hopefully you won't get totally bored. Lol!
I hope you enjoyed my video for today. I would love for you to give it a thumbs up if you did, and subscribe to my channel if you don't already! I have a lot more videos planned for 2020 now that my crafty space is dialed in!

 I would suggest watching the video to see how these cards came together, because it's a bit easier than explaining. This technique of adding gold heat embossing to patterned paper is really gorgeous, and it just adds that much more to the papers! These cards feature the "Abstract Watercolors Dark Blue", and "Abstract Watercolor Violet" patterned papers from Alexandra Renke.

I've added the gold embossed detailing using the Meet Me Under the Mistletoe (US stores linked at end of the post) stamp set, with Gilded embossing powder from Brutus Monroe.

All of the dies I've used are from Alexandra Renke. She designs some really amazing dies that I just love. I've used the Stars Outline Small set on both cards. I've featured the Numbers dies on my first card, and the Best Wishes die on my second.

The stamped part of the sentiment on the first card is from the gorgeous Welcome Butterflies stamp set that released this past summer.

On the second card, I've featured numbers from the Diary Numbers stamp set, which is perfect for planners and calendars...but also perfect for adding a year, birthdate or age to your cards.

That is everything I have for you today! If you have any questions about my card, feel free to leave them in the comments and I will be sure to reply. I've linked to most items today in the Alexandra Renke shop. If there is a place to find them in the US, I've linked those below. The only way to make Alexandra's product more readily available here is to ask for it at your favorite store...whether it be online or brick & mortar. So, please be sure to ask if you would like to be able to get her products here! 

I thought I would start a new feature to my posts, where I ask you about something, but also answer it myself! I hope it helps me to know you better, and learn about products or techniques that I am unaware of. And hopefully it will be beneficial for you too! The question will likely relate to the card I've created for the post, and today is all about heat embossing! Here are my go to's:

1. WOW Embossing Ink (SSS | EH): I've tried A LOT of embossing ink. I really do get a better impression, and better embossing powder coverage with this ink than any other.

2. Most Used Embossing Powders: I reach for these three embossing powders more than any others.

• Brutus Monroe Gilded (SSS | EH)
• Avery Elle Rose Gold  (SSS | EH)
• WOW opaque bright white, super fine (SSS | EH)

 3. WOW dual heat gun (SSS | EH): I had no idea what I would need 2 heat settings for. BUT...the lower heat setting is perfect for drying watercolor & pigment inks, and heat embossing on delicate surfaces like washi tape and vellum. I am so happy to have it, and I also love that it is white. That is purely about the fact that it matches my cardmaking studio, but it still totally makes me happy! ;)

I can't wait to hear your responses! Before you move along with your day, I wanted to invite you to follow me on social media. I would love to be crafty friends online! You will likely see my question on IG & FB too, so you can answer wherever you'd like!