2025 Wrap-Up: The Story Behind 5 Favorites from 2025

Today is the last day of 2025. Can you believe it’s been an entire year since we last celebrated a new year?! In so many ways, this year flew by, but at the same time, it was long and wonderful. I hope 2025 has treated you well, and I wish you loads of happiness and health in the coming year.

The Story Behind 5 Favorites

Every project I make has a story behind it. Sometimes that story is about how or why I designed the project. Other times, it’s about what was happening in my life at the time. Either way, each project carries a little piece of history with it.

I love that I created so much this year. I also love sharing my projects with you and truly appreciate all the kind feedback and support you’ve given me along the way.

Looking back through my projects feels a bit like flipping through a scrapbook of my year. I definitely have favorites, but I could never choose just one – I wouldn’t want to offend the others! For today’s post, I combed through last year’s posts and selected five projects that are especially dear to my heart, each for a different reason.

You can click on any of the photos below to see the original post for each project.

Thanks so Much

You know how much I love playing with color. A beautiful mix of colors can be the foundation for a great card, while the wrong mix can ruin everything. Everything!

As I worked with the lobsters, seaweed, and gorgeous panels from the Ocean Friends Designer Series Paper, I found myself surrounded by bright colors. Pumpkin Pie, Melon Mambo, Lemon Lime Twist, and Flirty Flamingo are all cheerful on their own, but together they felt overwhelmingly sweet.

To tone things down, I added a soft Pool Party circle, then grounded everything with a Basic Black card base and a sentiment on black. Once those elements were in place, the colors finally felt balanced.

Here’s a look at the card I made in February using the Ocean Friends Designer Series Paper (you can click on the photo below to see my original post for this card):

I wasn’t initially in love with the sea life in this stamp set, but I remained open to it. After this card, I was infatuated.

Thank You

This year included several once-in-a-lifetime milestones. In March, I took early retirement from my 30-year career in accounting. I spent 24 years with an amazing company here in Atlanta, most recently serving as Director of Corporate Accounting. After wrapping up a five- to six-month transition, it felt like the right time to hang up my accounting visor.

As I prepared to leave, I was overwhelmed by the kindness of so many people who gave me thoughtful gifts. While my card-making life didn’t often intersect with my accounting life, I designed a sweet thank you card to share my appreciation with many of the friends I was leaving behind. Here’s the card I shared with you in April:

Because I had so many people to thank, I designed this card to be easily duplicated in different colors and created multiples of each. Here’s a look at the rainbow of thank you notes I made:

I shared this project in two posts. The specific colors are identified in the original post, which you can access by clicking on the photo of the six cards above.

A Stained Glass Beauty

Oh, how I love black-and-white papers! While I often add color to them, this card from April was the first time I shared a technique I dreamed up and call the “stained glass effect.”

I was so happy with how this turned out. The focal panel features a black-and-white design from the Mixed Florals Designer Series Paper, one of my all-time favorites. I drew lines across the paper with a Black Stampin’ Write Marker, then colored the background of each section with a mix of bright and subtle colors.

Here’s the card I created and shared in April (click on the image below to see the original post and a step-by-step explanation of the technique, along with tips for making it yourself):

Once again, the bright colors were grounded with a black-based sentiment. Imagine that! This is a technique I’ll be revisiting with other black-and-white papers for years to come.

Happy Birthday, Ivy!

While Jeremiah and I were in Salt Lake City in September celebrating one of my Stampin’ Up! milestones, our sweet niece Ivy turned 6. Watching Ivy grow up has been such a joy, and we love spending special birthdays and holidays with her. She’s a great conversationalist and always has a story to share with me. You know I love that! ♥

It’s no secret that I’ve loved working with the Celebratory Sips Designer Series Paper and the Party Alphabet Dies this year. The patterns paired perfectly and felt just right for Ivy. Personalized cards are always special, and I had so much fun creating this one for her. Here’s the card I made for Ivy (click on the card to see my original post for this project):

Here’s a picture from Ivy’s birthday celebration with us. And yes – she’s wearing the same color as the card she would receive. Nice work, Brian!

Love and Joy

It’s no secret that many of my favorite cards this year are tied to people who mean a lot to me. Mom visited for nearly three weeks in November. While we did make some cards together, she was mostly focused on sewing projects.

During Mom’s visit, we visited a local quilt shop. While I have no interest in working with fabric, I absolutely loved talking patterns and colors with Mom and the store associates as we planned out her projects. Apparently, I’ve trained for this!

While she was still here, I reached for the IINCREDIBLE Traditions of Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper to create a quilt-like background for this card (you can click on the image below to see the original post for this project):

The patterns blend together so seamlessly that it’s almost impossible to tell the background is paper-pieced. Be sure to click through to read more about how it came together.

One More Thing…

Since we’re talking about memories with the people we love, some of my favorite projects are the ones I share during my card classes, Super-Awesome Fun Time Card Kits, and Pumpkin in the Fungeon calls. It’s always heartwarming to connect with the incredibly talented folks who join me for these sessions.

I don’t get to share those projects on my blog – they’re designed exclusively for these classes – but I’m proud of every project I create for these groups. I especially love seeing how participants put their own spin on the designs and use the ideas we share to create something uniquely theirs. I’m really looking forward to the upcoming classes and kits.

Final Thoughts

There are so many more projects from 2025 that I loved for different reasons, but these five tell some of the most meaningful stories from my year. Thank you for being part of this creative journey with me. I look forward to making more memories and sharing more projects with you in the new year.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Brian

SUPER-AWESOME FUN TIME CARD KIT

Emma Goddard and I are hosting a Super-Awesome Fun Time Card Kit that is not to be missed! Our kit features two incredible bundles from the upcoming Spring Mini Catalog (Simply Beautiful and Beautifully Celebrated) and the goodies that coordinate with those bundles. I would LOVE for you to sign up today! To learn more, click on the image below:

PRODUCT SHARES – ORDER TODAY

I am hosting Product Shares and making Designer Series Paper Swatch Books from the 2026 Spring Mini Catalog (and coordinating Online Exclusives). There’s no better way to get a sample of everything. If you’d like to sign up or learn more, click on the image below:

Pick up December’s Product of the Month

While you are shopping the Last Chance Sale today, don’t forget that you can pick up the Product of the Month for just $5 with a $75 order. Here’s the pack of papers you can earn:

To learn more, CLICK HERE.