Digi Choosday Project | Floral Birthday Shaker Card featuring Polkadoodles' Love Bird Owl

Today I’m sharing a fun and cheerful birthday shaker card featuring the super versatile Love Bird Owl Heart Valentine digi stamp from Polkadoodles—proof that a Valentine image can be used beyond Valentine’s Day! 

For this project, I combined the adorable owl with bright floral elements and a fun shaker background, turning it into a sweet birthday surprise. The sentiment “Make a Wish” is from the Winnie Daisy Fairy Everyday Greetings and Quotes —one of my go-to sets for versatile phrases from Polkadoodles.

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Materials Used

• Polkadoodles Digi Stamp: Love Bird Owl Heart Valentine

• Polkadoodles Sentiment: Make a Wish from Winnie Daisy Fairy Everyday Greetings and Quotes

• Ohuhu Markers

• Lawn Fawn Spring Flowers Backdrop Dies

• White Vinyl Sticker (for the sentiment)

• Cricut Maker

• Sizzix Big Shot

• Plain cardstock

• Acetate sheet

• Foam tape

• Glue

• Shaker bits (I used small pink flowers)

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Coloring Details (Ohuhu Markers)

• Body: Y2, Y3

• Beak: YR33

• Clothes: PB1, B120

• Heart: R1, R2

Instructions: Step-by-Step

1. Cut a piece of cardstock to 4.25 x 5.5 inches – this is the base of your shaker.

2. Cut acetate to the same size (4.25 x 5.5 inches) – this will seal the shaker window.

3. Die-cut your border – I used Lawn Fawn’s Spring Flowers Backdrop dies, but any border or even a basic rectangle works!

4. Print and cut your focal point – Love Bird Owl Heart Valentine digi stamp from Polkadoodles.

5. Color the digi stamp using the Ohuhu colors listed above.

6. Choose your sentiment – I used the vinyl cut version of “Make a Wish” and cut it with my Cricut Maker. Printed sentiments work just as well.

7. Adhere the sentiment onto your shaker base. Plan the placement so your focal point (the owl) doesn’t cover it.

8. Add foam tape around all four edges of the shaker base to create the well for shaker bits.

9. Place your shaker bits (I used cute pink flower confetti).

10. Seal the shaker by adhering the acetate on top.

11. Glue the floral border die-cut on top of the acetate.

12. Attach your focal image (the owl) with foam tape for extra dimension.

13. Mount the entire shaker panel onto your card base – and you’re done!

This cheerful shaker card is perfect for birthdays and can be easily customized with different themes, colors, or embellishments. That sweet little owl is so adaptable—it’s not just for Valentine’s Day!

Here's another version I made with Polkadoodles' Honeypie Love Heart digistamp:

Let me know what you think or if you give this a try!

Digi Choosday Project | Envelope Box Card featuring Polkadoodles' Love Bird

This Envelope Box Card may look process-heavy with all the measurements and photos, but trust me—it’s actually super easy and fun to make! Best part? You don’t need a die-cutting machine or any fancy tools to pull it off. Once you master the envelope box base, you can go wild with decorations and themes!

Here’s how I made it:

Digi Choosday Project | You Paint My World Happy Card featuring Polkadoodles' Female Painter

This week’s Polkadoodles Digi Choosday project is a colorful thank-you card made for those wonderful people who make our lives brighter! I used the Female Painter digi stamp from Polkadoodles and created a rainbow watercolor background to match her cheerful vibe. The best part? I finally got to use my Motex label maker for the sentiments!

Materials Used:

• White cardstock

• CutterPillar Pro paper trimmer

• CutterPillar Crease score board

• Colored/plain cardstock

• Digi stamp: Polkadoodles Female Painter Digi Stamp

• Ohuhu Alcohol Markers

• Ohuhu Glitter Markers (silver and orange)

• Motex Embossing Label Maker

• Roco Watercolor

• Paige Evans Epoxy Stickers

• Bearly Art Precision Glue

• Foam Tape

  
  

  
  

Instructions:

1. Prepare your card base: cut to 8½” x 5½”, score at 4¼” to make an A2 card.

2. Cut colored cardstock to 4⅛” x 5⅜”.

   
   
   
   

3. Cut white cardstock to 4” x 5¼”.

   
   
   
   

4. Watercolor your white cardstock background. I painted vertical rainbow color panels. Tip: Stick to adjacent rainbow colors (e.g., red next to orange, orange next to yellow) to avoid muddy blending. Let this dry.

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

5. While drying, color your digi stamp using the following Ohuhu Alcohol Marker colors:

   YR33, YR2, Y10, R23, R1, R2, BG68, BG5, BG6, R18, RV260, GY172, GY7, GY4, YR148, Y145, GG1, CGII04

   I also added some sparkle using silver and orange Ohuhu Glitter Markers.

   

   
   

6. Once the watercolor background is dry, glue it onto the colored cardstock.

   
   

   
   
   
   

7. Use foam tape to adhere this panel to your card base.

   
   
   
   
   
   
   

8. Use foam tape again to add your digi stamp for extra dimension.

   
   
   

9. Embellish with epoxy stickers that match your watercolor palette.

   
   
   
   

10. Use your label maker to create and add the sentiments: “you paint my world happy” and “thank you.”

This was such a fun card to make, and I love how it turned out! I hope this inspires you to make something for the color-bringers in your life too.

Don’t forget to join the fun at Digi Choosday, and follow me on Insta @my.cat.and.crafts or Facebook My Cat and Crafts for more creative projects.

Also check out more adorable Polkadoodles stamps and crafty goodies at polkadoodles.co.uk!

Digi Choosday Project | Back to School Handmade Mini Notebooks featuring Polkadoodles' Wanda

Another project to get ready for the back-to-school season, and personally, what better way to get organized (or just have something super cute) than with some handmade mini notebooks? For this Polkadoodles project, I created a coordinating set of two mini notebooks using the cutesy Studying Wanda Digi Stamp and the fun Happy Cactus Succulent Printable Pattern Paper!

I started by just eyeballing the size with regular A4 printing paper and my first try turned out a little too small for Wanda, so I made a second, slightly larger version — and now they make a perfect matching set! The smaller notebook measures 2.5 x 4 inches, while the larger one is 3.5 x 5 inches.

I colored the Wanda Computer Studying Digi Stamp with my Ohuhu markers using these colors:

🎨 Hair – R1, R4, R7

👁️‍🗨️ Eyelids – RV160

😊 Skin – R18

👚 Blouse – PB10

🪑 Chair – BG4

🪵 Table – YR1, BR1

For the covers, I used the Happy Cactus Succulent Printable Paper, then added Wanda front and center. To finish things off, I fussy cut some fun elements from the Work & Play 12 Design Sheet – Scientist/Geek Girl to give it a still fun vibe (despite the needing to go back to school) with "Talk Nerdy to Me" and "Geek Chic".

                                                  

Both notebooks were bound with my trusty We R Memory Keepers Mini Cinch — I love how polished they look with those wire bindings!

                                                 

These would make sweet little gifts for classmates and teachers, desk companions, or even for personal use! They will fit any little bag you always bring. I’m seriously tempted to make a whole set!

Digi Choosday Project | Back to School Notebook Love featuring Polkadoodles' Science Girl

I’m so excited to share one of my all-time favorite makes for Polkadoodles—a handmade notebook that’s not only functional but also super cute thanks to my Polkadoodles stash!

This notebook is a fave because the Science Girl character Digi stamp I used is a bit more detailed than the ones I’ve previously worked with — and I printed her BIG, which made coloring even more fun! I brought her to life using my trusty Ohuhu markers, and I’m very happy with how she turned out.

For the inside pages, I kept things simple with regular 80gsm A4 paper, sliced perfectly down the middle using my ever-reliable Cutterpillar Pro. The cover is a cheerful, colorful print from the Happy Cactus Succulent collection, and I paired it with solid cardstock for the spine to give it that pop of contrast.

Since my notebook is pretty thin, I made the spine just .25 inch with half an inch for the front and back, all scored with my Cutterpillar crease.

I bound it all together using my thermal cinch, which I’ve really grown to love. It’s quick, reliable, and gives the notebook a sleek finish that’s easy to stack and store. While I do enjoy ring binding—hello, ribbon and charm opportunities!—there’s something charmingly minimalist about thermal binding.

Once the notebook was assembled, I simply glued my little scientist girl to the cover and added a coordinating embellishment from Polkadoodles' Work and Play Design Sheet for that extra touch of flair.

Honestly, I can’t help but wish I had known how to make these when I was still in school. How fun would it have been to have custom notebooks like this instead of boring store-bought ones?

                                                  

If you’re looking for a fun, functional project that lets you play with paper, color, and binding methods, I highly recommend giving notebook-making a try. It’s a game-changer—and totally addicting!

Come join the fun at Polkadoodles’ Digi Choosday card making and craft challenge—it’s the perfect place to get inspired and show off your creativity! Visit this blog for all the details and loads of gorgeous samples!

Weekly Happy Planner Layout | Scrapbook Travel Titles | Travel Prep Edition

Cramming both a blog post and this week’s planner layout because… well… I didn’t have one last week. 

Plus, I wanted a proper to-do list for today and tomorrow before we fly to Seattle!

Yes — the Alaskan Cruise is happening very, very, very soon, and I am beyond excited! Since we arrived last August 9, it’s been a blur of laundry, ironing, and… making scrapbook titles. Oh, and catching up with snuggles and nap disturbances with my cat, Lucky who has been very clingy since we arrived!

Scrapbook Titles - This has become my new travel tradition, inspired by Melanie of @melanie.espe.lim and Michi of @mitchcraftaholic. My first creations were for Abu Dhabi and Malaysia — I had to design them myself because Cricut Design Space didn’t have any. The best part? After our trip, I saw that someone had already recreated my Malaysia design! That gave me the push to make even more titles… so now I have one for each place we’re visiting in Alaska. Because suddenly, just the “Alaska” title I initially made didn’t feel like enough. and because, I was inspired to make the titles that Design Space didn't have!

 

New designs:

If you want to read about our Abu Dhabi trip, click here. Malaysia is still to follow! hehe.

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This Week’s Layout

For this week, I went with a travel theme using The Happy Planner’s Getaway Vibes and Bright Travels sticker books. I added box stickers for each day before our flight so I can jot down important reminders — I’m definitely a “write a list” kind of planner girl.

My sticker sentiments this week include:

• “Life is a journey, not a destination” (pretty sure we had a similar quote for our travel themed wedding — sorry hubby, my memory’s fuzzy)

• “Take me away”

• “Live every day like vacay”

• “Born to wander”

• “Travel the world”

• “Adventure ahead”

  
  
  
  

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Travel Journaling Plans

Traveler's Notebook and pens are birthday gifts from Chummy. Will bring adhesive so I can stick tickets and other memorabilia I get during our trip!

I have a new Traveler’s Notebook from my cousin Chummy, and it’s coming along with my photo printer. During our Malaysia trip, I brought the latest mini album I made for Kelly Bangs and we filled it daily with Instax prints from my sister’s camera. It was so fun! I might get one of my own, but I’m only 50% convinced because of the bulk.

Funny side story — someone accidentally spilled Coke (wala pang umaamin pero may nag "spill" na on who - Ollie and Mica both pointing at each other) on the Malaysia album, so I brought it home for repairs. Haven’t fixed it yet, but that’s on my September list. Here's a little flip through with the Coke splatter effect:

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If you want to recreate my scrapbook titles, my Design Space account is here. Some titles are designed by others, but most are my own.

Follow me on my socials for more projects — I might even start sharing our travel stories on my crafting IG too!

Instagram: @my.cat.and.crafts
Facebook: My Cat and Crafts

This is it for now! Have a great week ahead, everyone!

💗 Ana