DIY CALENDAR BLOG HOP: JULY 2026 CUTEST CREW

Welcome to DIY Calendars! Thanks for joining us this month – and every month – as we share our creative ideas. I’m back with one of my very most favorite current stamp sets: Cutest Crew!

I love these birdies 💕 The Cutest Crew dies include individual dies for each bird, so I cut out a little flock. In the process I discovered that the dies cut out their wings!! The bodies are colored in the light tone of Stampin’ Blends, and the wings are in the dark tones.

As much as I love our new Glimmer Pens, I am still a huge Wink of Stella fan. I used it on the Rolling Wave sea foam die cut and used a Blending Brush to add a little color underneath. I also spattered a little Cloud Cover tinted water for texture. There’s a little bit of Lemon Lolly brushed across the top as well. I find the secret to good Blending Brushing is patience. Take your time and don’t rush it.

Click the button to travel through the Blog Hop and see what Sharon and Cheryl have created this month. We’re so glad you’ve joined us!

Don’t miss the July Product of the Month! Begonia Belle is available with a qualifying order while supplies last. Shop early!!

Would you like to make your own DIY Calendars? The template is just $6. Visit my secure page to make your purchase. (You can also find the page on the banner across the top of my home page.) You’ll receive links to download the templates in an email after you’ve paid. You’ll need to cut and paste those links into your browser. (You may need to check your spam folder to find that email.)

You are only purchasing a template, which you can download and print for your personal use. I hope you’ll enjoy it!

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

FLOWER FAIR: GET TWO CARDS FROM ONE IMAGE

Don’t you love getting double the results from one image? A large image like Flowers Fair is a great candidate for double dipping. Take a look at what I did:

After I’d colored the original image, I cut out middle with the Everyday Arches dies and used it for the second card. It was easy to cover the opening on the first card with a matted second image, and I stamped the same full image for the second card in Lemon Lime Twist to keep it softly in the background.

I kept the focal panel for the first card simple with plenty of white since the background was so colorful. The little butterflies from Cutest Crew fit perfectly on the edges.

Keeping the background softer allowed the focal panel to, well, be the focus. I stamped the sentiment in black to mute what was otherwise a very colorful card.

Flowers Fair was released during the March 2026 Online Exclusives. It’s a keeper – have some fun with it!

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

THE CUTEST CREW BIRDIES: SO GLAD WE’RE FRIENDS

  • Stamps: Cutest Crew
  • Color Palette: Basic White, Memento Black, Pretty in Pink, Pool Party, Lemon Lime Twist, Darling Duckling
  • Accessories: Stamp Cut & Emboss Machine, Cutest Crew dies, Everyday Arches dies, Blending Brushes, Stampin’ Blends, Stripes and Dots DSP (Demo Exclusive), Dear Dots (retired), Ink Refill, Paintbrush and Bone Folder, Stampin’ Dimensionals

I resisted the Everyday Arches dies for much too long. They are GLORIOUS and I wish I’d taken the leap earlier – there was a sort of stubbornness about not having bought them right away. Sometimes my purchasing decisions are based on rather ridiculous ideas!!! But never mind, I have them now and I love them. In fact, I highly recommend them!.

No less an authority than the New York Times (Well Newsletter) is advocating hand written letters. A letter increases engagement and connection, and can provide comfort to the recipient. I won’t argue with that!

I recently learned a spritz-tip – sorry, it was late-night doom-scrolling and I can’t acknowledge the brilliant crafter. When you load up a paintbrush with diluted Stampin’ Up! ink refill, tap it on a bone folder instead of your finger for more satisfying speckles. Try it, it works!!

Shop the Online Store and create a memory you can send through the post.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

DIY CALENDAR BLOG HOP: APRIL 2026 – CUTEST CREW

Welcome back to DIY Calendars for another month of hand-made desk top calendars. The crew has some beautiful spring designs for your pleasure and inspiration. My choice this month is the delightful Cutest Crew bundle.

  • Stamps: Cutest Crew
  • Color Palette: Basic White, Memento Black, Peach Pie, Smoky Slate, Granny Apple Green, Lost Lagoon
  • Accessories: DIY Calendar Template, Stamp Cut and Emboss Machine , Cutest Crew dies, Stampin’ Blends, Blending Brushes, Wink of Stella, Stampin’ Dimensionals

I gave the kittens a bit of a wash so they had a nice place to roll, and I added a little Wink of Stella because, well, Wink of Stella. I made the butterflies the same colors as the wash (Granny Apple Green and Lost Lagoon) so it would look properly planned.

5 kittens were a little long for the calendar page, so I trimmed off the leading feline and popped it under the month. I couldn’t leave it off altogether now, could I?

Click the button to travel through the Blog Hop and see what Sharon and Cheryl have created this month. We’re so glad you’ve joined us!

Would you like to make your own DIY Calendars? The template is just $6. Visit my secure page to make your purchase. (You can also find the page on the banner across the top of my home page.) You’ll receive links to download the templates in an email after you’ve paid. You’ll need to cut and paste those links into your browser. (You may need to check your spam folder to find that email.)

You are only purchasing a template, which you can download and print for your personal use. I hope you’ll enjoy it!

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

COLOUR INKSPIRATIONS #205: CUTEST CREW

The Colour INKspirations Challenges are some of the best in social media. It’s been a while since I’ve joined in, and I promised myself I would find a way to use Granny Apple Green, Berry Burst, and Basic Gray in a card for CI 205. The Cutest Crew birds flapped their collective wings and said “choose us, choose us!!”

This project is a LOT simpler than it looks 😎

I began by cutting a piece of Granny Apple Green Two Tone card stock from the Made With Sweetness Two Tone Card Stock Pack (go ahead, say that a few times.) I cut it a little longer than a normal panel for a card front – about 4″ x 6″ instead of by 5 1/4″. That gave me room to overlap the torn pieces. Then I tore it up. I LOVE DOING THIS. I alternated the sides and used Tombo Multipurpose Glue to fix them in place, overlapping the white core edges.

After that it was just stamp, color, assemble! I used a little Granny Apple Green ink on a Blending Brush on the Arch die cut. I colored the Cutest Crew Birds with Stampin’ Blends, and popped them up on dimensionals. I stamped some birdie feet across my card front panel before I added the layered arch, and I completely disassembled some of the metallic trim from a while ago and rolled it up into a little nest for the corner.

I put birdie feet on the envelope too, because why not?

Please visit the Colour INKspiration page to see all the CI#205 projects. And if Cutest Crew has caught your eye, I’d put it in my cart ASAP and buy it. It’s already gone to unavailable status once!

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.