Little Kingdom – How Are You?

 Hello crafters,

Today I’m sharing a cheerful and imaginative card created with the Little Kingdom – Stamp Soup set from Polkadoodles. This set is full of quirky little houses, towers, and details that let you build your own magical world — and I couldn’t resist making a bright, fairy‑tale scene!

I used Distress Oxide inks to create a colourful background that feels like a dreamy sunrise behind the village. The house is stamped and layered with bold reds, pinks, and purples, with playful patterns and textures that bring it to life. The sentiment “How are you?” adds a friendly, uplifting touch — perfect for sending a smile to someone special.

If you love whimsical designs and creative layering, this set is pure joy to play with. You can find Little Kingdom – Stamp Soup on the Polkadoodles website, and it’s currently on promotion, so it’s a great time to grab it!

Natalia x

Merry Little Christmas – Golden Glow & Festive Layers

 Hello my crafty friends,

Today I’m sharing another card created with the beautiful Lisa’s Festive Collection. For this design, I used the Festive Poinsettia Embossing Folder & Die Set together with the Festive Wreath Stamp Set.

I built a layered composition with embossed poinsettias and foliage, highlighted with gold accents and a soft colour blend of red and blue. The sentiment “Merry Little Christmas” stands out beautifully in the centre, framed by a golden border that adds warmth and festive elegance. I love how the mix of colours and textures gives this card a rich, glowing finish — perfect for the season.

Crafty hugs, Natalia x

Santa’s Street – Christmas Magic in Layers

 Hello everyone!

There’s something timeless about Santa walking through a snowy street, carrying gifts under the lantern light. For this card, I used elements from the Snow & Sparkles collection by Polkadoodles, building a cozy little scene full of texture and charm.

The layered background is embossed with stars and snowflakes, creating depth and movement. Santa, with his bright red coat and sack of presents, stands beside a wooden fence and a tiny hanging sign that says “Greetings”. I love how the soft blue tones contrast with the warmth of red and gold — it feels like a quiet winter evening just before Christmas.

A simple sentiment “Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year” completes the design — classic, heartfelt, and full of festive spirit.

Crafty hugs, Natalia

Floral Layered Card featuring Lisa Horton Crafts Scribbled Dies!

 Hello everyone!

I am so excited to share my latest project and video tutorial, which is now live over on the Lisa Horton Crafts YouTube channel!

For this card, I wanted to create a bright, dimensional, and cheerful look using the stunning Scribbled Flowers and Scribbled Leaves die sets. If you love playing with background textures, partial inking, and making the most out of your craft supplies, this tutorial is definitely for you!

Key Techniques Used in This Project:

• Turning Offcuts into a Frame: Don't throw away your die-cut leftovers! I used the offcuts from the frame to build a clean, scalloped border that gives the card an instant 3D shadow-box effect.

• Partial Inking on Die Cuts: Instead of coloring the entire flower, I selectively inked only the inner details while leaving the outer edges crisp white. This contrast really makes the bright pink and yellow pops of color stand out!

• Textured & Splattered Background: A gentle blended background with soft wave stenciling and water splatters adds beautiful movement behind the floral layer.

Watch the Step-by-Step Tutorial

You can watch the full process video right now on the Lisa Horton Crafts YouTube Channel. I walk you through every single step, from blending the background to assembling all the delicate layers!

Thank you so much to Lisa and the team for featuring this project! Let me know in the comments below if you try out the offcut frame trick or partial inking on your next card!

Happy crafting,

Natalia

Bright & Botanical Mini Book

 Hello craft lovers!

Today I’m sharing another sweet little project made with Paula Create’s brand-new Book Bound and Matchbook dies! This time, I took a completely different stylistic approach - swapping out vintage earth tones for a vibrant, tropical color palette full of hot pinks, sunny yellows, and fresh turquoise.

I crafted a tiny botanical-themed mini booklet featuring layered die-cut frames, ornate "Ex Libris" banners, and charming postage stamp borders. Inside, each page holds cute floral embellishments, a matching ribbon tag, and the inspiring "Books Are Magic" die-cut sentiment. The combination of doodled black border lines with intense ink blending gives it such a fun, playful energy!

These dies are incredibly versatile - you can build vintage mixed media masterpieces or bright, modern mini keepsakes like this one.

The full collection is available now at Lisa Horton Crafts! What colors would you use to build your mini book?

Hugs,

Natalia x

Metallic Inks on Kraft Cardstock

 Hello creative friends!

I’m back with another mixed media card, and this time I decided to take my metallic inks onto dark, raw kraft cardstock. Using metallic inks on kraft creates such a rich, vintage contrast that really makes the colors and textures pop in a completely different way!

For this project, I built up a textured background filled with raised typography elements, subtle grid patterns, and warm metallic golden sheen. The dark, distressed edges draw all the focus straight to the centerpiece: a layered, deckled-edge panel with a colorful die-cut branch and a delicate twine bow. To top it all off, I added a sleek "Much Love" sentiment and a touch of micro beads for that extra tactile detail.

Using vibrant metallic inks over a darker, earthy base gives the whole composition an incredible depth and artistic flair.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on using metallic inks on kraft cardstock! Do you prefer bright white or rustic kraft bases for your mixed media projects? Let me know in the comments!

Happy crafting,

Natalia x

Winter Joy – Frosty Texture & Warm Spirit

 Hello everyone!

There’s something magical about winter textures — the mix of cool metallics, rustic wood and soft shimmer. For this piece, I used the Winter Joy MDF wood craft blanks kit from Polkadoodles, turning it into a charming snowman tag full of character and depth.

I played with layers of paint, ink and embossing to create a worn, frosty background. The snowman’s hat and scarf bring contrast and warmth, while the cut‑out snowflakes add movement and light. It’s a project that feels both vintage and cozy — perfect for hanging on a gift or as a little festive decoration.

Crafty hugs, Natalia x

Shining Bright: Floral Card with Metallic Pearl Inks & 3D Embossing

Hello craft lovers!

I am back today to share another vibrant floral project, and this time I’m playing with rich, shimmering metallic inks. There’s something so magical about watching metallic pigments blend together and catch the light, especially when paired with deep 3D floral textures.

For this card, I started by experimenting with Cloud 9 Metallic Pearl Inks on my glass mat. By dabbing a few vivid shades, spritzing them with water, and pressing watercolor paper directly into the pool of pigment, I achieved a soft, fluid background loaded with metallic shine. To bring out the full richness of the colors, I blended a bit more ink across the panel before placing it into Lisa Horton’s 3D Carnations Embossing Folder.

Passing it through the die-cutting machine instantly brought the entire design to life with incredible dimension. To make those raised floral details pop even further, I gently swiped a light pearl metallic ink pad over the top of the embossed pattern. The subtle highlight catches the light beautifully from every angle! I finished the card with a bold, dark "Let's Celebrate" sentiment right in the corner to ground the design and balance out all the colorful shimmer.

I hope this piece inspires you to pull out your metallic inks and embossing folders for your next creative session! Let me know in the comments what color combinations you’d love to try with this technique.

Happy crafting!

Natalia x

Snowy Greetings – Christmas Cheer

 Hello my crafty friends,

Here’s another festive make from the Snow & Sparkles collection by Polkadoodles. This time I played with the adorable Snowy Greetings Christmas Holiday Snowman clear stamps & outline dies - such a fun set for creating layered, dimensional winter scenes.

I built a cheerful composition with stacked snowmen next to a classic red postbox, surrounded by holly leaves and tiny snowflakes. The bright pink frame adds a modern twist to the traditional Christmas palette, while the stamped sentiment “Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year” finishes it perfectly.

I love how this design combines vintage charm with playful colour — it feels joyful and full of holiday spirit.

Crafty hugs, Natalia

Festive Poinsettia Card with Lisa Horton Metallic Inks

 Hi everyone!

Today I want to share a festive Christmas card featuring the gorgeous Poinsettia 3D embossing folder and Metallic Inks from Lisa Horton Crafts!

To create this shimmering background, I blended vibrant liquid metallic inks over watercolor paper before running it through the 3D embossing folder. Adding deep green ink to the background brings out all the detailed layers of the flower and leaves. A touch of gold shine and a bold "Merry Christmas" sentiment finish off this piece perfectly.

Great news—the fantastic Metallic Inks used in today's project are currently on sale! Plus, don't miss out on amazing Mega Deals coming this Friday during our Friday Night Live (FNL) event! Make sure to tune in live to catch exclusive offers on your favorite crafting supplies and get inspired for your holiday crafting.

Check out the step-by-step process in the short video reel!

Happy crafting,

Natalia x

You Light Up the World – Stamp Soup Magic!

 Hello everyone!

Today I’m sharing a bright and whimsical card created with a mix of two of my favourite Stamp Soup sets – Lavender Tea and Magic Garden from Polkadoodles. These sets are not new releases, but they remain absolute gems – and right now, they’re on promotion at Polkadoodles!

I combined elements from both collections to build a dreamy, circular composition full of glowing colours and playful details. The background blends Distress Oxide inks in rich sunset tones – from deep violet and magenta to golden yellow – creating a radiant, magical atmosphere. The sentiment “You light up the world” perfectly captures the mood of this piece – joyful, imaginative, and full of light.

If you love mixing stamp sets and experimenting with colour, these two are a perfect match. Don’t miss the promotion on the Polkadoodles website – it’s the ideal time to rediscover these beautiful Stamp Soup designs!

Sending Hugs! Natalia x