15/3 - Mystery Stamping #1/2026

Alison Culliver
Mar 15
9 min read

Learn how to create a mystery design, one step at a time.

Hello & welcome to my blog.

My name is Alison & I live in beautiful Melbourne, Australia & I am an independent Stampin' Up® demonstrator.

I love to create beautiful things to share with people that I love but I also sell me creations. I have been creating things in one way or another for most of my life - knitting, sewing, cooking, card making, gardening, scrap booking & hand made gifts & in 2020 after joining Stampin' Up® I decided to share my passion in a blog (craftedbyalison@blogspot.com).

In 2025 I retired & decided to spread my creative wings a little more by combining my blog, products that I had been selling on FaceBook & launching a newsletter. Some of these things I had already been doing but this time they are all in the one place. (All previous posts can be found at my blogspot address above if you would to read any of them.)

And here we are at my new site!

Have you ever tried Mystery Stamping? I enjoy creating any way I can & love to learn new ways but sometimes it's nice to have a little surprise in the process which is exactly what Mystery Stamping is. Let me explain the process.

To create using mystery stamping, you are given a list of supplies to gather together before the event, then on the day you are given steps, one at a time, which you follow until you end up with a completed card or project.

Here are the supplies you will need to gather...

Now let's get started on the clues!

Here are the supplies you need...

Base - Misty Moonlight cardstock measuring 21cm x 14.85cm + 6cm square for sentiment
Matte - Basic White cardstock measuring 10cm x 9.5cm
DSP - Painted Illusions - 4 x 2cm x 9cm
Vellum - approx. 12cm x 9cm
Nature's Symphony stamps & dies
Stylish Shapes dies
Lovely Stripes embossing folder

Now, let's get started on putting this card together.

Step 1. Emboss the Basic White piece with the Lovely Stripes embossing folder.

Step 2. Tear a small strip from the the top of each strip of DSP. Tear towards you so that there is a white edge to the tear line.

Step 3. Adhere the DSP strips to the embossed Basic White matte.

Step. 4. Using the Nature's Symphony dies, diecut the bough of leaves from the vellum piece. While you have the machine out, also diecut a medium circle from the Stylish Shapes dies from the Misty Moonlight square.

Step 5. Heat emboss the sentiment ' You make me smile' from Nature's Symphony in white on the Misty Moonlight circle. Heat emboss ' Thank You' in white on the card base, underneath the Basic White matte.

Step 6. Adhere the vellum leaves behind the sentiment, trimming them to fit as you would like them.

Step 7. Raise the sentiment on dimensionals towards the centre of the card.

Step 8. Decorate with gems or other embellishments if you wish.

Now your card is finished.

Here is a pic of the finished card, including a closeup.

That's it for my creation today. I hope you enjoyed this mystery stamping technique.

As this post goes to air, I'm winging my way back home after spending 3 1/2 days in Sydney for the Stampin' Up® annual On Stage event where Stampin' Up® share their new annual catalogue with demonstrators at the event & also recognise achievements from the past year. I will share news & information with you in my next few posts.

Now for some more news from Stampin' Up®.

Stampin' Up® have many ways of shopping with a physical catalogue, online shopping & in person events. When items are about to be retired or are running low they are put on the 'Last Chance' list which means that there is limited stock & when it runs out, it's gone.

Stampin' Up® 's Annual Catalogue is sectioned it to have beginners, which is a step by step collection of materials in kits, then there is quick & easy where you select base materials & packs of pre-printed or diecut materials plus some stamp sets then there is create your way where you choose all the materials, stamps etc yourself & Create Your Way! In the quick & easy section Stampin' Up® have also provided some inspiration with a colour wheel & information of various ways to use colour combinations. I explored this in a bit more detail in some of my previous blogs on Blogspot. The other cool feature is that they provide card sketch & scrapbook layout ideas for you. This is great for any times that you need a little inspiration.

If you'd like to browse the catalogue online then click here. If you'd like a copy to hold in your hands, leaf through & put little notes all over it of what's on your wish list then shoot me an email at craftedbyalison@gmail.com or message me on my facebook page at craftedbyalison. The new catalogue will launch on the 5th May.

The mini catalogue is now available online & in printed form. There are loads of gorgeous new products in there. There's scrapbooking ideas & products, Valentines & Easter themed products and some lovely outdoor themed suites. If you'd like me to send you a copy before it finishes at the end of April then send me an email at craftedbyalison@gmail.com.

Stampin' Up® also have loads of additional products available only online. These are called Online exclusives & have no end date, when the stock is sold out, that's the end of it.

Stampin' Up® have a great range of Kits including crafting, card making & gift giving. There are brand new kits added to the collection every month. Click here to check them all out in my online shop. As Stampin' Up® have so many beautiful kits available I usually feature a different kit in each

Sunday blog so that you can see the range.

This week the feature kit is Radiant Reminders, a home decor kit a lovely nature themed kit.

Here's how Stampin' Up® describe it...

Create three DIY displays with the Radiant Reminders Kit. Featuring monstera leaves, luna moths, and neutral patterns in beige, black, brown, green, and gold, these handmade home decor pieces let your creativity shine while adding natural, organic style to any room.

Display your creations on clipboards from the Standing Clipboard Trio Kit (sold separately), or add them to your favorite frames, bulletin board, or other fun display.

If you feel that you need to add this to your list then click here to purchase one from my online store.

If you shop with me then there are some changes last year to the rewards program that you should know about. In the past we were able to create a host code & group together individual orders & pass on the 'hostess' benefits to customers with qualifying orders. This has now been replaced with a 'Rewards' program that gives all customers who place an order with a qualifying amount a credit of 10% of their order to use on future orders. This will be displayed during the checkout process or your order. Stampin' Up® feel that this is a fairer way of rewarding all customers.

There are some new ways to craft on offer at the moment which I will go through one at a time.

Ready?

1.Stampin' Up® has now held 3 Online Craft Classes with the Traditions of Christmas craftalong, Brushed with Beauty Suite on November 21st and the most recent one is called Lovely Blossoms & is available right now! It co-ordinates with the Lovely Blossoms suite & you can order the class & suite by clicking on the links. It was held on the 20th February. I have purchased both of the previous classes & they are a great way for you to learn from the professionals & a load of fun.

Once you purchase any of the Craft Classes you will receive an email with a link to an exclusive Facebook group when the event is hosted. Can't wait to craft along again & see what designs the team come up with!

2. Stampin' Up® held their first ever Virtual Card Making Retreat over two days recently. It was designed for experienced or advanced crafters in mind but also had a heap of tips & ideas for those wanting to explore more detailed card designing. You can still be a part of this event! To participate you just need to purchase the Retreat kit ($288AU) & this provides you with all of the materials you need & access to an exclusive FaceBook group where the videos from the event are stored. It sounds like a bit of expense but from past experience, what you take away from these type of events is well worth it. You can also download & print the pre event cutting instructions as well as having a cutting video & recordings of all of the cards that were made.

Here's some more info on how to join this retreat.

To craft along with the Stampin' Up® presenters and make 15 beautiful, all-occasion cards, you’ll want to purchase the 2026 Virtual Card Making Retreat kit. Everyone who purchases a kit will receive a link to the exclusive Facebook group where the live event will stream. We only have a limited number of kits, so make sure to order yours ASAP!

3. Starting last December, Stampin' Up® introduced a special 'Product of the Month' item that is only available with eligible purchases. There is a new item every month with details released just before the new item will be released. Each month it's a surprise what it could be - stamps, dies, papers - a complete surprise every month. You will be able to receive each month's product for just $9 when you spend $125 in one order. I have been able to order all of the products so far. December was some lovely blue toned DSP & January was a very versatile stamp set. I will share some creations with you in future posts. February was a stunning DSP pack filled with Beautiful watercoloured patterns and whimsical designs that make beautiful projects. I featured some creations in my midweek post recently.

The March Product of the Month is a lovely, whimsical stamp set.

If you would like to add this stamp set to your collection, get your shopping list out & place a qualifying order & you will be prompted before checkout to add it to your shopping trolley.

As this post goes to air I am flying home after heading up to Sydney for Stampin' Up®'s annual On Stage event which is when they released their new Annual Catalogue to demonstrators. This was my first time attending On Stage in person as the last one I attended was online during COVID & I was pretty excited to join hundreds of other demonstrators from all around Australia for 3 days of fun, friendship & new products. I can't share any of the catalogue apart from the front cover until it is officially released to the public but I will be able to share some of the creations I made with products I received at the event and in the pre-order period. More info shortly.
I will be home for a few days then I head off to Echuca with my husband & some friends for a bowling tournament. A busy month is March!!
As I will be away so much, I will be scheduling some of my future posts & there may be a delay in my creations being available in my shop.

Lastly, there have been lots of great items added to the clearance rack which is now called Last Chance items so make sure you check them out using this link to my online store as there are some great discounts.

If you would like to purchase any of my creations that I feature in my blogs they can be found in my shop along with lots of different designs including feminine, masculine, special occasions, everyday events, something for the juniors or you can order something unique.

I hope you've enjoyed today's post.

My next post will be on Wednesday & will be sharing how to use a really useful tool from Stampin' Up® called Take Your Pick.

In next Sunday's post I have a beautiful new stamp & die bundle called Lovely Arrangements.

I hope you can join me for both of them & come back for more.

Til next take, take care & keep creating.

XX Alison

Here are some links to the products that I used today & some craft room essentials.

Shop with me

Stamps, Dies, Embossing folders & punches