Happy Valentine’s Day | Spellbinders, Sizzix/Tim Holtz & Lawn Fawn

Hi crafty friends!  Today I am sharing a Valentine’s Day card featuring products from Lawn Fawn, Sizzix/Tim Holtz, and one of my favorite heart-themed embossing folders – “Tiled Hearts” from Spellbinders.  I just love when I can go through my stash and create using products I already own!

The supplies used:

Spellbinders – Tiled Hearts Embossing Folder

     Sizzix/Tim Holtz – True Love Die Set

     Lawn Fawn – Happy Valentine’s Day Hot Foil Plate

     Spellbinders – Precision Layering A2 A Die Set

     Generic Double-Stitched Heart Die from Amazon

     Spellbinders – Cranberry Colorwheel Cardstock

     Concord & 9^th – Hazelnut Cardstock

     Simon Says Stamp – Dark Chocolate Cardstock

     Heffy Doodle – Oyster Shell Cardstock

     Dark Grey Cardstock From My Scrap Bin

     My Paper Insider - White Iridescent Glossy Cardstock

     My Paper Insider – Fuchsia Pearl Cardstock

     My Paper Insider – Pink Glitter Cardstock

     My Paper Insider – Dark Grey Cardstock

     Spellbinders – Opaque White Glimmer Foil

     Sprinkletz – Red Hearts Embellishments

     Altenew – 1” x 1/16” Foam Tape

     Simon Says Stamp – Big Momma Foam Tape

     Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue

     Scor-Tape Double Sided Adhesive

     Scrapbook Adhesives – Thin 3D Foam Squares

     Spellbinders Glimmer Foiling System

     Anna Griffin Empress Die Cutting Machine

Creating the Background Panel

I die cut a piece of Spellbinders Cranberry cardstock using the second largest die from the Spellbinders Precision Layering A2 A die set which cuts the panel to be approximately 4” x 5-1/4".  Then I used the largest die from this set to cut a 4-1/4” x 5-1/2” piece of dark grey textured cardstock that I received in a My Paper Insider subscription kit.   I placed the die cut, Cranberry cardstock panel into the Spellbinders Tiled Hearts embossing folder and ran it though my die cutting machine to emboss the cardstock.  I added Simon Says Stamp’s Big Momma Foam Tape to the back side of the embossed, cranberry panel and adhered it to the center of the grey, A2 size panel. 

Creating the Focal Points

Using the Sizzix/Tim Holtz True Love die set, I die cut all the chocolate elements (eight total) from the following cardstocks:  textured darker grey cardstock, fuchsia pearl cardstock, glitter pink cardstock and white iridescent glossy cardstock was from a My Paper Insider subscription box, Heffy Doodle Oyster Shell, Simon Says Stamp Dark Chocolate, and Concord & 9^th Hazelnut.  I assembled the chocolate candies using the Sizzix website’s guide and all the layers were glued together except I added Scrapbook Adhesives Thin 3D Foam Squares between the Dark Chocolate and Hazelnut cardstock layers to add dimension.

Creating the Sentiment

I hot foiled the Lawn Fawn Happy Valentine’s Day sentiment onto a scrap piece of Spellbinders Cranberry cardstock using the Spellbinders Glimmer System and Spellbinders’ White Opaque Glimmer Foil.   Utilizing a generic stitched heart die I purchased many years ago from Amazon, I die cut the foiled sentiment, added two layers of Altenew 1” x 1/16” foam tape to the back side of the sentiment and set it aside until I was ready to complete the card front.

Assembling the Card Front

I started by using Scor-Tape to adhere the background panel to a red, A2 card base.  I glued the chocolate candy die cuts around the outer edge of the Cranberry, embossed card front panel (leaving the center open for the sentiment).  Next, I removed the backing paper from the Altenew foam tape on the sentiment and adhered it to the center of the card front.  Lastly, I added three Sprinkletz Red Heart embellishments to complete the card.

Thank you for stopping by and checking out today’s blog post, I really appreciate it.  Until next time, happy crafting!

2025 Holiday Card Series #3 | May This Season Bring You Peace

Hi crafty friends!  Today I am sharing a sweet Christmas card that has a special meaning in my heart… the winter cardinal.  If you’ve lost someone near and dear to you, I’m sure a lot of you feel the same way when you see a red cardinal at Christmas time.  My Gran always told me it was a sign from a passed loved one who was coming to check on us – that’s what I like to think anyway.

The supplies used:

Honey Bee Stamps – Lovely Layers: Winter Birds Die Set

     The Greetery – Botanicuts Mighty Oak Die Set

     Sizzix – Holiday Greens-Mini Die Set

     Spellbinders – Precision A2 A Layering Die Set

     Spellbinders – Crimson, Poppy Field, Phone Booth Cardstock

     Pinkfresh Studio – Holiday Greetings Sentiments Press Plates

     Copic Alcohol Markers – R89, R59, R37, R29, R14, E37, E59, G05, G46

     Sakura White 05 Gelly Roll Pen

     Spellbinders – Opaque Black Glimmer Hot Foil Roll

     Ranger/Tim Holtz – Distress Watercolor Paper

     Gina K. Designs – Black Onyx Cardstock

Mijello Mission Gold Watercolors (oatmeal-color mix I created)

     Ranger/Tim Holtz – Distress Snowfall Grit Paste

     Ranger/Tim Holtz – Distress Palette Knife

     Pinkfresh Studio – Ruby Glitter Drops Embellishments

     Simon Says Stamp – Big Momma Foam Tape

     Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue

     Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foil System

     Anna Griffin Empress Die Cutting Machine

Creating the Card Front Background

I started the card by die cutting a piece of white watercolor paper using the second to largest die in the Spellbinders Precision Layering A2 A die set and then cut a piece of Gina K. Designs Black Onyx cardstock using the largest die in that set.  I created sort of an oatmeal-colored mixture of Mijello watercolors to give the background a simple wash to serve as a backdrop for my focal point image.  I applied the wash of watercolor paint to the watercolor paper using a ¾” Silver Black Velvet oval watercolor brush and set the panel aside to air dry.

Creating the Focal Point

For the branch/greenery, I used the Sizzix Holiday Greens – Mini die set and cut the holly branch eight time from white cardstock and the berry branch four times and glued a die cut on top of another so that all the die cuts were double stacked to give them some more heft.  I also used the branch die from The Greetery’s Botanicuts Mighty Oak die set and cut it two times from kraft cardstock and glued those one on top of the other.  Lastly, I die cut the cardinal from Honey Bee Stamps “Lovely Layers: Winter Birds out of Spellbinders Crimson, Phone Booth, and Poppy Field cardstocks; however, I did cut the base layer twice and glued it behind its counterpart for added dimension.

I added shading and color to all the die cuts using Copic alcohol markers.  The color combinations used were:

     Branch:  E37, E59

     Holly Leaves:  G05, G46

     Berry Branches:  E59, R29

     Cardinal:  R89, R59, R37, R29, R14 (white Gelly Roll pen for eye)

Next, I snipped all the little holly leaves from the four holly branches I colored and also snipped the berry stems from the berry branches and set them aside.  I took the branch diecut (from the Botanicuts Mighty Oak set) and placed it on my glass mat and began gluing all the holly leaves onto the empty branch stems.  Once those were glued into place, I began gluing the little berry branches in front of and behind the holly leaves.  I placed an acrylic block on top of the branch/leaves until dry.  While the branch was drying, I assembled and glued all the layers for the cardinal then placed a white dot on the cardinal’s eye with a Sakura 05 white Gelly Roll pen.

Building the Sentiment

Utilizing the Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foil System and Opaque Black Hot Foil Roll, I selected the Pinkfresh Studio Holiday Greetings Sentiments Press Plate set and hot foiled the “May This Season Bring You Peace” plate onto a scrap piece of the watercolor paper I used for the card’s background.  Once hot foiled, I used the coordinating die to diecut the sentiment.

Finishing the Design

To complete the card, I added thin foam tape to the back side of the watercolor panel and adhered it to the A2 size piece of black cardstock.  Next, I positioned my cardinal and holly branch where I wanted them to be on the card front.  After picking the two up together with reverse tweezers, I added small, narrow pieces of foam tape behind the holly leaves surrounding the cardinal.  I added Bearly Art Precision Glue to the back side of the cardinal and adhered both the branch of holly and the cardinal at the same time.  I added foam squares to the back side of the sentiment and adhered it to the upper left of the card front.  Lastly, I added Ranger/Tim Holtz’s Distress Snowfall Grit Paste with a palette knife along the top side of the branch and on a majority of the holly leaves – just a tad here and there to give it a frosty, wintery look.

For the last touch, I added a few Pinkfresh Studio Ruby Glitter Drops embellishments over all the berries and adhered the card front to an A2 size card base.  Another holiday card completed for the 2025 season!

Thank you for stopping by and checking out today’s blog post, I really appreciate it.  Until next time, happy crafting.

Day 12 | Spellbinders 13 Days of Craftoween

Hi crafty friends!  I’m back to share my creation for Day 12 from the 2025 Spellbinders 13 Days of Craftoween kit. 

The supplies used were:

Spellbinders – 13 Days of Craftoween Box Kit, Day 12 Dies

    Spellbinders – Friendship Lace BetterPress Plates

    Spellbinders – Precision Layering A2 B Die Set

    Spellbinders – Precision Layering A2 A Die Set

    Hero Arts – Nested Circle Infinity Dies

    Spellbinders - Antique Matte Metallic Treasured Cardstock

    Spellbinders – Brushed Black Cardstock

    Spellbinders – Carrot Essentials Cardstock

    Gina K. Designs – Onyx Black Cardstock

    My Favorite Things – Limelight Cardstock

    Altenew – Forest Canopy Glitter Cardstock Set

    Thin Vellum from Amazon

Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foiling System

Spellbinders - Opaque Black Glimmer Foil

    Sakura Moonlight Gelly Roll Pen #405P

    Sakura Black Glaze Pen #849

    Simon Says Stamp Black Foam Squares

    Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue

    Misti Original Stamp Positioning Tool

    Anna Griffin Empress Die Cutting Machine

I began today’s card by doing some hot foiling.  I used the Spellbinders Opaque Black Glimmer Foil and the Spellbinders “Friendship Lace BetterPress Plates” to hot foil the large press plate from this set onto a piece of My Favorite Things Limelight cardstock.  Then I used the largest die from both the Spellbinders “Precision Layering A2 A” and “Precision Layering A2 B” die sets to cut out my hot foiled panel and well as the Brushed Black matting layer for my card front.

Now for the Day 11 die set – I die cut each of the elements from the following cardstock and glued them together after die cutting was completed:

    Cauldron Base:  Spellbinders Brushed Black Cardstock

         (Sakura Black Glaze added to highlight area on cauldron)

    Cauldron Rim and Handles:  Gina K. Designs Onyx Black Cardstock

    Skull and Bone:  Spellbinders Antique Matte Metallic Treasured Cardstock

    Witches Boots, Sock Stripes, and Skull Base:  Gina K. Designs Onyx Black Cardstock

    Cauldron Bubbles:  Altenew Peridot, Jadeite, & Titanite Glitter Cardstocks

    Witch Socks:  Spellbinders Carrot Cardstock

    Straw:  Scrap purple from my stash (stripes added using Moonlight Gelly Roll #405P)

The cauldron base, witch’s boots, and socks were each cut three additional times from regular black cardstock to add dimension to the focal point that will be adhered to a circle of vellum in my next step.  I glued two of the additional die cuts to the back side of the cauldron and set the other extra die cuts aside for now.

Using the fourth largest circle from the Hero Arts “Nested Circle Infinity Dies”, I die cut a piece of thin vellum that I purchased years ago from Amazon.  This vellum circle will be a landing point for the cauldron on the card front.  I positioned the vellum circle over the opening in the background that was foiled onto the Limelight cardstock and once the correct position was found, I glued the cauldron to the front and trimmed the excess vellum off the right side of the card front. I also glued those last three black diecuts (cauldron base, socks and witch boots) to the reverse side of the vellum and lined them up with their coordinating piece from the front side of the vellum - this is being done to make it easier to hide the glue on the vellum.   Next, I glued the cauldron/vellum focal point to the card front and then glued the card front to the Brushed Black card front matting panel.

For the sentiment, I used one that I had created in an earlier cardmaking session from the Spellbinders “Halloween Icons” press plate set.  I added a few strips of scrap black cardstock to the back side to give it dimension and adhered it to the card front.  To finish the card, I added few green gems that I’ve had in my stash for about a decade (and glad I’ve kept them all these years!).

That completes today’s card!  Thanks so much for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed this Day 12 card showcasing the dies from the Spellbinders 13 Days of Craftoween boxed kit and found inspiration for some of your own card making projects!  One more day to go!!

Until next time… happy making!