They don’t demand attention. They don’t rush the process. They invite you to slow down and layer gently.
Today’s Color My Story Monday focuses on watercoloring with soft pastels, and it felt deeply aligned with our January theme: Tending the Roots.
Roots grow underground. They’re invisible at first. And they need consistent care, not force.
Soft pastel watercoloring works the same way. Color builds gradually. Depth comes from patience. And the most beautiful results happen when you allow the process to unfold naturally.
👉 Where in your creative life — or your personal life — are you being invited to soften instead of push?
Cultivation isn’t always bold. Sometimes it’s gentle, layered, and quiet.
One of the quiet myths about January is that intention should immediately turn into action.
But cultivation doesn’t work that way.
Seeds don’t sprout the moment they’re planted. Roots form first — slowly, invisibly, patiently.
The same is true for creativity.
After naming an intention, there’s often a pause. A stillness. A moment where nothing looks like it’s happening, but everything is being prepared underneath.
If your creativity feels quiet today, that doesn’t mean you’re stuck. It means something is settling.
👉 What feels ready to take one small step — and what still needs time?
Yesterday we talked about intention without pressure. Today, we take one small step further — naming.
Naming doesn’t mean committing forever. It doesn’t mean deciding everything right now. It simply means acknowledging what matters today.
When I think about the word Cultivate, I imagine a garden that isn’t rushed. Some seeds are planted early. Some later. Some never at all — and that’s okay.
👉 If you could gently tend one thing this year — creativity, rest, connection, healing, joy — what would it be?
You don’t have to grow everything at once. You just have to choose what you’re willing to care for.
December arrives with its own kind of hush—a soft invitation to pause, breathe, and take in the tender glow of a new season. While the world around us speeds up, this month offers an opportunity to slow down, reconnect with what matters, and gather tiny sparks of light that help us through darker days.
If you’ve felt overwhelmed, tired, stretched, or simply uncertain about how to begin the final month of the year, this is your reminder: December doesn’t ask for perfection. It invites presence.
And presence is something we can build through small rituals, mindful moments, and meaningful creativity.
Let’s explore how we can gently “gather the light” in our crafting, our stories, and our everyday lives.
🌟 The Quiet Power of Noticing Light
Light doesn’t always show up as big, dramatic moments. More often, it reveals itself in:
the soft glow of a lamp before the sun rises
the way a child’s laughter cuts through a heavy day
the sparkle of frost on a porch railing
the comfort of a warm mug in cold hands
the first card you make after days (or weeks) of creative exhaustion
These glimmers matter. They are reminders that beauty still exists—even when life feels complicated or heavy.
One morning, I stepped into my preschool yard while everything was still quiet. The fig leaves were wet from the night’s rain, and the early sun caught just the edges, turning the dark green into tiny golden outlines. Nothing spectacular. Nothing cinematic. But the sight stopped me long enough to breathe deeper—and that was enough.
Gathering the light begins with noticing. And noticing begins with slowing down long enough to really see.
💗 A Mindful Start: Choose One Tiny Ritual
The first week of December can feel overwhelming, but a simple ritual can bring unexpected calm.
Here are a few gentle options:
✨ Light a candle for one minute
Let the flame be a reminder that even small light fills space.
✨ Step outside and take one photo
Capture something beautiful, ordinary, or quietly glowing.
✨ Make a cup of tea and sit for five breaths
No agenda. Just the warmth.
✨ Choose a “beginning color”
Soft pink, warm white, pale gold, berry tones—pick the shade that feels like early December to you.
✨ Place one small craft supply on your desk
A die cut. A scrap of cardstock you love. A tiny embellishment. Let it be a promise to yourself that creativity will meet you here.
When your heart feels heavy or your mind feels scattered, creativity becomes a place to rest.
Here are a few gentle ways to use papercrafting to gather the light this week:
🌿 Make a “first of December” card
Use:
soft pinks or neutrals
gentle blending
a small raised texture (an embossing folder is perfect)
a simple sentiment like “breathe,”“hope,” or “you matter”
This card isn’t for performance—it’s for grounding.
🌙 Create a tiny journaling panel
Cut a small rectangle, circle, or square. Write one sentence:
“Today, the light found me when…”
Glue or tape it somewhere meaningful: your planner, a layout, a Bible, a notebook, or even your bathroom mirror.
💫 Start a “Light Basket”
Curate a small set of supplies for the month:
3–4 cardstock colors
1 stamp set that makes you feel encouraged
1–2 embossing folders
one roll of washi or ribbon
a handful of pre-cut shapes
When December feels overwhelming, the basket reduces decision fatigue. Creatively, it feels like comfort.
🌄 Personal Story: When Light Arrived Quietly
During one of the hardest Decembers of my life, I found myself sitting alone in the early morning. I wasn’t doing anything creative or special—just staring out the window, trying to make sense of my year.
Then the sun rose.
Slowly. Almost shyly. And as the light hit the frost on the railing outside, it sparkled like tiny crystals.
A moment that lasted less than 10 seconds became the one thing I held onto for the rest of that day.
Not because it was beautiful—though it was. Not because it was convenient—because it wasn’t. But because it reminded me that even in seasons of heaviness, light still returns.
Creativity helps us capture those moments. Storytelling helps us remember them.
📸 Creative Prompt: Capture “Three Glimmers”
Over the next few days, look for three tiny sparks of beauty.
Maybe it’s:
the way the morning light hits your craft desk
a child’s muddy boots lined up by the door
a color combination that catches your attention
the shimmer of embossing powder melting
the soft curve of a ribbon
a quiet moment you didn’t expect
Take a photo. Or jot a note. Or create a small embellishment cluster inspired by it.
At the end of the week, gather all three glimmers on a single journaling card or 6×8 layout.
Let it become your “Gathering the Light” page.
✨ Reflection: What Light Are You Carrying Into December?
Every year brings its own challenges, heartbreaks, triumphs, and lessons. This December, ask yourself:
What small lights carried me through the year?
What did I learn about myself?
What beauty surprised me?
What do I want to hold onto?
What do I want to gently release?
These questions aren’t meant to stir guilt—they’re meant to illuminate truth.
🌿 A Gentle Closing Thought
Wherever you are in your December journey—excited, overwhelmed, grieving, healing, creating, resting—you’re not doing it wrong.
You haven’t missed the magic. You haven’t fallen behind. You’re already gathering light simply by noticing the world around you.
Creativity will meet you where you are. And joy will find you in small ways.
If you’d like more inspiration, join me in the Gems Paper Scissors VIP Group or connect with me on Instagram @GemsPaperScissors. Let’s gather the light together this season.
Today’s Strawberry Support Card is a story of contrasts — bold Strawberry Slush, calming Secret Sea, and the quiet strength of an embossed sunflower beneath it all.
On the blog this week, I’ll share how color pairing can express emotion in surprising ways.
December carries a strange kind of magic… a mix of sparkle and shadow, joy and ache, celebration and exhaustion. And in the middle of all that emotional complexity, many of us need the reminder that inspired today’s card:
It’s okay to not be okay.
Today’s project — the Pink Okay Card — is emotional storytelling through color and texture. It blends soft Pretty in Pink, grounding Pecan Pie ink, layered Stylish Shapes, and the powerful Light of Aurora DSP swirls.
But this isn’t just a card tutorial. It’s a conversation about permission. About compassion. About honoring the truth of how you feel today — not how you “should” feel.
🌿 The Heart Behind the Design
Crafting has always been a form of healing for me — a space where my hands can express what my voice sometimes can’t.
For many of us, this season stirs up:
• Grief resurfacing • Unexpected heaviness • Overwhelm • Fatigue • Stress and sensory overload • Tenderness around memories • Hope that flickers instead of shines
And in that emotional swirl, I wanted today’s design to feel like a soft hand on the shoulder. A whisper saying:
“You don’t have to perform. You don’t have to pretend. You don’t have to be okay today.”
The sunflower image — stamped in Pretty in Pink and overlaid with warm golden tones — symbolizes resilience wrapped in softness. The Lights of Aurora DSP echoes this idea with its brushstroke-like blend of purples, pinks, and glowing white light.
Nothing about this card demands perfection. Everything about it invites gentleness.
🎨 Today’s Color Story: Pretty in Pink + Pecan Pie + Aurora Glow
Color carries emotional meaning. Pretty in Pink is a color of softness, vulnerability, openness. Pecan Pie adds grounding, stability, and truth-telling. The Lights of Aurora DSP brings motion, depth, and mystery.
Together, they create a visual reminder that:
Tenderness and strength can coexist. Uncertainty and beauty can share the same space.
When you create with emotional intention, your projects become more than paper — they become anchors. They become safety. They become moments of truth.
🌸 Supplies + Measurements
Stamps: Love & Courage Dies: Stylish Shapes Ink Pads: Pretty in Pink, Pecan Pie Other: Sunflower 3D embossing folder, Frosted Iridescent Dots
Cardstock & Paper:
Pretty in Pink • 5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″ (card base) • 1-3/4″ x 4-3/4″ • 3″ square (die-cut)
Basic White • 4″ x 5-1/4″ • 2-1/2″ square (die-cut) • Scrap
Lights of Aurora DSP • 1-1/2″ x 4-1/2″
✨ How This Card Tells a Story
1. The embossed sunflower background
Sunflowers turn toward the light — even when it’s faint. This embossed panel grounds the message in gentle resilience.
2. The layered Stylish Shapes
Stacking the squares symbolizes stability — something many of us crave in the winter season.
3. The imperfect, blended sunflower
A touch of Pretty in Pink paired with golden Pecan Pie creates a bloom that feels tender, warm, and very human.
4. The sentiment
“It’s okay to not be okay.” Not just stamped — believed.
5. Frosted Iridescent Dots
They mimic tears or dew or tiny glimmers of light — depending on what your heart needs them to be.
💗 Creative Reflection Prompt:
Take a moment and ask yourself:
“Where can I offer myself more compassion today?”
Sometimes healing begins with a whisper. Sometimes it begins with a card. Sometimes it begins with crafting pink petals until your heart softens.
Wherever you are today, you’re not behind. You’re not alone. You’re not doing it wrong.
You’re simply human — and that is enough.
🧡 Want the Full VIP Tutorial?
Inside our private community, today’s full Make Along Tuesday video walks you through this layered construction step-by-step.
You’ll also find the emotional journaling prompt of the day, technique tips, and a safe creative space to breathe.
Today we’re beginning December with softness and light. This Flower Alone Card uses Melon Mambo to bring warmth, embossed texture to bring grounding, and a powerful message of compassion. On the blog today, I’m sharing how to personalize your embellishments using Stampin’ Blends + Rhinestone Basics.
See how tiny pops of color bring a story to life → Here
Gratitude, like flowers, grows best in gentle light. It doesn’t need a perfect day — only presence, intention, and space to open.
This week, my creative table feels like a garden in bloom. Between the soft tones of Petal Pink and the grounded calm of Mossy Meadow, today’s Petal Thanks Card reminds me how “thank you” can feel both delicate and strong.
I started with Perfectly Pears as my foundation — its timeless botanical design fits this month’s reflection on abundance perfectly.
The Painterly Pears DSP provided that soft floral-meets-fruit print, and I layered it onto Darling Duckling cardstock for contrast. I love how the yellow glow pulls the viewer’s eye to the stamped sentiment — “Thank you” — like sunlight through autumn leaves.
Each layer was an act of slowing down: aligning edges, smoothing ribbon, placing dots one at a time. Gratitude feels a lot like that — steady, simple, intentional.
Saying “thank you” is more than good manners — it’s a creative practice. Each time we express it, we build a new layer of connection — just like paper upon paper.
When I finished this card, I didn’t just see layers of cardstock. I saw layers of moments — every kindness, every shared conversation, every reminder that creativity connects us back to one another.
Find the Perfectly Pears Bundle, Painterly Pears DSP, and coordinating embellishments here: 👉 Shop Perfectly Pears on my DBWS
💌 Join the Community
Join the Gems Paper Scissors VIP Group for daily gratitude prompts, creative healing projects, and heartfelt conversation: 👉 facebook.com/groups/GemsPaperScissorsVIP
Gratitude doesn’t need to shout to be heard. It can whisper through color, rest quietly in layers, and still change everything it touches.
Sometimes, connection looks like color. Like the first swirl of Calypso Coral on a fresh piece of white cardstock, reminding you that you’re creating something joyful — something that can brighten someone else’s day.
Today’s Calypso Congrats Card is a celebration of those moments — the small wins, shared smiles, and quiet cheers that connect us through gratitude.
I started this card with the Darling Duckling base — its sun-kissed warmth feels like a celebration before the first stamp even touches paper.
After scoring at 3½” and 6¼”, I added the framed pear print from the Painterly Pears DSP. That pattern anchors the layout while keeping the design open and friendly — just like the word “Congrats.”
Using Sponge Daubers, I blended Calypso Coral and Darling Duckling inks on the pear stamps to create a natural gradient. Then I deepened the leaves with Old Olive Blends and added tiny Pecan Pie shadows for depth.
Each stroke reminded me that celebration doesn’t have to be loud — sometimes it’s a warm gesture shared quietly through paper and ink.
💡 Technique Tip: Use a light touch with the Sponge Dauber — let the colors overlap naturally so your pear feels hand-painted. Blend Calypso Coral into Darling Duckling for a sun-to-shadow effect.
Every “congrats” we give is a connection. When we acknowledge each other’s progress — no matter how small — we strengthen the fabric of our creative community.
Crafting this card felt like writing a thank-you note to everyone who’s cheered me on this year: my team, my clients, my friends, and you — my fellow creatives who believe in beauty and healing through art.
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