Sparkles and Bear Hugs

Today’s card started with a sketch I’ve been wanting to use, and it quickly turned into one of those projects that just makes you smile from start to finish. I’m sharing this card in my bi-weekly newsletter of Jan 12, 2026, and as a heartfelt thank you to my newsletter subscribers, I’ll be including a free downloadable PDF tutorial. Your encouragement and support of my small business truly mean more to me than I can say, and this is just a small way to give back.

I also challenged myself to pull out some new-to-me supplies, which is always a little extra fun. I reached for the Valentine Kisses stamp set and coordinating dies, which are online exclusives, along with the absolutely gorgeous Splash of Sparkle Specialty Designer Series Paper. Between the soft colors, the playful patterns, and that hint of gold or silver running through the paper, I knew this card was going to have some sparkle built right in.

The foundation of the card is Bubble Bath cardstock to create a soft, sweet base. On a scrap of Basic White, I stamped the adorable bear, the flower bouquet, and the sentiment using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink, then die cut everything with the coordinating dies and my Cut & Emboss Machine. The sentiment was cut using the long, thin sentiment die from Stylish Shapes, which I absolutely love for sleek greetings. I also die cut nine hearts from a scrap of Bubble Bath cardstock to scatter across the card front for extra charm.

Coloring is always one of my favorite parts, and this little bear was a joy. I highlighted his fur softly with the light Smoky Slate Stampin’ Blend, added Pretty In Pink inside his ears, and deepened his nose just a touch with Basic Black. The flowers came to life with Pretty In Pink, Strawberry Slush, and Flirty Flamingo Blends. Once colored, I tucked the bouquet into the bear’s arms and secured it on the back with Tear & Tape so everything stayed perfectly in place.

The background layers are where the sketch really shines. A strip of the rainbow paint DSP with gold accents was matted onto Strawberry Slush cardstock and adhered vertically to the center of the card. Over that, I added another DSP strip featuring Timid Tiger, Pretty In Pink, and Bubble Bath, matted onto Flirty Flamingo and placed almost like a cross over the first layer. The layered look adds so much interest while still keeping the design light and happy.

The bear was popped up with dimensionals and placed toward the lower right of the top layered DSP piece, slightly overlapping the bottom for a little depth. The sentiment tucks partially under the bear’s arms, adhered with a mix of dimensionals and flat adhesive so it flows naturally across the card. I finished things off with three of the lightest Pretty In Pink gems from the Strawberry Slush & Pretty In Pink Gems pack, placed around the sentiment using my Take Your Pick tool. A little Wink of Stella brushed onto the Bubble Bath hearts added just the right amount of glitter and glam.

Here’s the step-by-step video from my YouTube channel showing how the card was created:

This card is heading into a couple of challenges as well. I’m entering it in Color My Heart Color Dare #686, since I used three of the colors from their color inspiration chart, and Time Out Challenges #304, where the theme is “All That Glitters.” Both were a perfect fit for this sparkly, love-filled design.

Most importantly, this card is headed to a dear friend for her birthday, and I cannot wait to pop it in the mail. Cards like this are such a reminder of why I love what I do—mixing color, texture, a little sparkle, and a lot of heart to send joy to someone special.