Day 1 | Spellbinders 13 Days of Craftoween

Hi friends!  It’s finally time to start creating with the 2025 13 Days of Craftoween box from Spellbinders.  Here’s Day 1:  

The supplies used were:

Spellbinders – 13 Days of Craftoween Die Set, Day 1

Spellbinders – Onyx Brushed Metallic Treasured Cardstock

Spellbinders – Barely Peach Cardstock

Spellbinders – Lilac Cardstock

Spellbinders – Orchid Cardstock

Spellbinders – Poppy Cardstock

Spellbinders – Anchor Cardstock

Spellbinders – Fog Cardstock

Spellbinders – Antique Mirror Metallic Cardstock

Spellbinders – Build-A-Wreath Die Set

Spellbinders – Halloween Wreath Add-Ons Die Set

Sizzix – Vault Funky Floral Wreath Die Set (Base Die Only)

Spellbinders – Precision A2 A Die Set

Spellbinders – Party Spots Embossing Folder

Spellbinders – Halloween Icons Press Plate and Die Set (banner die only)

VersaFine Clair Nocturne Ink

Altenew Carbon Black Gouache

Spellbinders – Opal Gems, Self-Adhesive

Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue

Misti Original Stamp Positioning Tool

Anna Griffin Empress Die Cutting Machine

I started today’s card by die cutting all the vampire’s pieces from Spellbinders cardstocks (listed above) and cut two extras of the base die cut from regular black cardstock for stability.  After the die cutting was completed, I used liquid glue and adhered all the pieces to create the cutest little vampire figure.

I used the largest die from the Spellbinders Precision A2 A die set to cut a black card front panel.  Then I took a piece of Spellbinders Anchor cardstock and ran it through my die cutting machine using the Spellbinders embossing folder called Party Spots.  I trimmed the embossed Anchor panel to measure 5-1/4” x 4” and placed a small amount of Altenew’s Carbon Black gouache onto my glass mat, added a little water, and used a small paint brush to add splatter to the Anchor panel.  Once the splatter dried, I adhered it to the black A2 sized matting panel.

I die cut a wreath base using the Sizzix Vault Funky Floral Wreath die set and trimmed all the leafy bits and a few of the straight pieces from it until I was left with only the spiral portions that were going to serve as a base for my wreath.  For the actual twig wreath, I used the Spellbinders Build-A-Wreath die set designed by the beautiful Suzanne Hue.  I die cut only the twiggy dies from this set using black cardstock from my stash and die cut them all about six times since I wasn’t sure how many pieces I would need.  After die cutting the twigs, I began gluing them randomly around the wreath base until I felt it was substantial enough for my liking.

Using the Spellbinders Halloween Wreath Add-Ons (also designed by Suzanne Hue), I chose some of the candy dies and cut them from Spellbinders Lilac, Orchid, and Fog cardstocks and placed them here and there around my twig wreath.

For the sentiment, I chose the “have a hauntingly good time” stamp from the 13 Days of Craftoween box and stamped it onto a piece of Spellbinders Fog cardstock and cut it out using the sentiment strip dies from Spellbinders’ Halloween Icons Pressplate and Die Set.

I glued the wreath to my card front panel, then added the little vampire at the bottom and the sentiment strip across the wreath’s center.  Once that was completed, I added the die cut candy pieces in some of the open spaces on the wreath and added five self-adhesive opal gems that were also from Spellbinders.

That completes today’s card!  Thanks so much for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed this Day 1 card using dies from the Spellbinders 13 Days of Craftoween advent box set and found inspiration for some of your own card making projects! 

Until next time… happy making!

Love You | Tim Holtz Idea-ology & Spellbinders

Hi friends!  Today’s project is a quick anniversary card that’s so easy to make using products from Tim Holtz’s Ranger and Idea-ology lines as well as a couple products from Spellbinders.  Let’s see how this goes!  

The supplies used were:

Spellbinders “Brushed Black” Cardstock

Spellbinders “Precision Layering A2 A” Dies

Tim Holtz / Idea-ology Paper Dolls

Spellbinders “Tiled Hearts” Embossing Folder

Spellbinders “Sneaking a Kiss” Die Set

Tim Holtz / Idea-ology Metallic Colors Kraft-Stock (Pink)

Tim Holtz / Idea-ology 8 x 8 Paper, “Limited Release from the Vault - Wallflower”

Tim Holtz / Ranger Distress Crayons – Picked Raspberry, Spun Sugar

Tim Holtz / Idea-ology Paper Dolls

Q-Tips (for adding color to the paper dolls)

Paper Sanding Block

Scrapbook.com 1” Foam Adhesive Roll, 1mm

Anna Griffin Empress Die Cutting Machine

I started the card by die cutting the Spellbinders Brushed Black cardstock and a piece of the metallic pink Kraft-Stock from Tim Holtz / Idea-ology using the Spellbinders “Precision Layering A2 A” dies – the black was cut using the largest die in the set and the pink metallic was cut using the second to largest die.  I then embossed the metallic pink Kraft-Stock panel using the Spellbinders “Tiled Hearts” embossing folder.  After embossing the metallic pink panel, I used a fine grit paper sanding block and scuffed up the edges of the panel and lightly sanded the surface of the panel to dull the finish and allow the paper’s core to be revealed… essentially, I distressed the panel a bit.  The last panel was diecut using the same Spellbinders A2 layering dies, but this time I used the third largest die and diecut a piece of the Tim Holtz / Idea-ology “Limited Release from the Vault – Wallflower” papers that I felt matched my theme the best.

Now for my focal point.  From the Tim Holtz / Idea-ology Paper Dolls pack, I selected a couple who appeared to be from a wedding photo and began to selectively colorize some of the paper doll’s features using my Tim Holtz / Ranger Distress Crayons.  I colored the bride’s flowers and groom’s boutonniere and pocket square using Picked Raspberry and used Spun Sugar for both of their cheeks.  Lastly, I added strips of 1mm foam tape to the back side of the bridal couple.

I added 1mm foam tape to the reverse side of my pink embossed panel and adhered it to the center of the brushed black cardstock panel.  I also added the same foam adhesive to the back side of the patterned paper and adhered it to the metallic pink panel.

For my sentiment and embellishments, I chose to use the Spellbinders “Sneaking a Kiss” die set from their December 2023 release and diecut the “love you” and string of hearts dies from the same metallic pink cardstock as the embossed panel.

I glued the love, you, and heart loop die cuts to the card front using my married couple as a guide on placement.  Then I used the negatives from the string of heart die cuts – which left me with three little pink hearts – to utilize as my only embellishments for the card front which I glued in place after adhering the lovely married couple onto the card.  And that’s a wrap!

I hope you enjoyed this quirky little anniversary card that was so much fun to make and possibly found inspiration for some of your own card making projects.   

Until next time… happy making!

Easter 2025 | Sending Easter Blessings

Hi friends!  I thought I’d make today’s Easter card using inspiration from the cutest layered stencil set out of the Spellbinders Deluxe Caboodle subscription from February 2025.  It creates the perfect background for a simple, but beautiful, Easter celebration card.   

The supplies used were:

Spellbinders “Nature’s Canvas” Stencil Set

Ranger/Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Inks (Cracked Pistachio, Twisted Citron,

    Squeezed Lemonade, Saltwater Taffy, Weathered Wood)

Nuvo Glitter Drops – Silver Moondust

Ranger/Simon Hurley Solar Spray “Beluga”

Scrapbook.com White Heavy Weight Mixed Media Paper Pad

Memory Box “Azure Dragonflies” Die Set

Black Cardstock from my Stash

Tonic Studios Pearlized Vellum

Lisa Horton “Ripe Mango Shimmer” Interference Ink

Spellbinders “Perfect Touch Rectangles and Tag” Die Set

My Favorite Things “Sour Apple” Cardstock

Ranger/Tim Holtz Distress Collage Medium in Fine Tip Bottle

Scrapbook.como 1” Foam Adhesive Roll, 1mm

Windsor & Newton Designers Gouache “Lamp Black”

Ranger/Tim Holtz Distress Archival Ink – Black Soot

Spellbinders “Luxe Damask” BetterPress Plates & Die Set

Spellbinders BetterPress System

Scrapbook Adhesives Thin 3D Foam Squares

Anna Griffin Empress Die Cutting Machine

I started the card by placing a piece of 4-1/4” x 5-1/2” white cardstock on my sticky mat and using the Spellbinders Nature’s Canvas stencils, I started with the first stencil labeled “1” and applied my ink colors through each stencil in this order:

            1 – Distress Oxide – Twisted Citron

            2 – Distress Oxide – Cracked Pistachio

            3 – Distress Oxide – Squeezed Lemonade

            4 – Distress Oxide – Saltwater Taffy

            5 – Distress Oxide – Weathered Wood

After I inked the last stencil using Weathered Wood, I wiped the stencil clean with some a few sprays of rubbing alcohol to clean it then placed the stencil back onto the inked cardstock panel and lined it up appropriately then sprayed a few spritzes of Ranger/Simon Hurley Solar Spray in the color Beluga to give the flower centers a bit of shimmer.  After the Solar Spray dried, I applied a thin layer of Silver Moondust Nuvo Glitter Drops to the centers of the larger flowers and set that aside to dry.  Once dry, I came back with a small paint brush and some Windsor & Newton Lamp Black gouache that I watered down and lightly splattered the inky card front panel and set it aside once again to dry.

For the dragonfly, I used the Memory Box Azure Dragonflies die set and cut the body piece from a piece of black cardstock from my scrap tray and cut the wings from a piece of Tonic Studios pearlized vellum.  I inked the head die cut using Lisa Horton’s Ripe Mango Shimmer Interference Ink to give it a luminous sheen.  Once the ink dried, I glued the dragonfly diecuts together and placed reverse tweezers of the center of the wings to hold them in place until the glue dried.

Using the Spellbinders Perfect Touch Rectangles and Tag die set, I cut the inked card front panel from the second to largest die and cut a piece of My Favorite Things’ Sour Apple cardstock using the largest die from this set.  I placed three strips of Scrapbook.com’s 1” wide/1mm foam tape to the backside of the inked card front and adhered it to the Sour Apple color cardstock and adhered these two pieces to an A2 size, side folding, white card base.

For the sentiment, I chose to use the Easter Blessings press plate from the Spellbinders Luxe Damask press plate and die set.  I used the BetterPress system and went ahead and inked up all the sentiments in this set - so I would have extras – using Black Soot Distress Archival Ink and ran it through my Platinum 6 die cutting machine then die cut the sentiments using the coordinating dies that came with the set.  I adhered the “Sending Easter Blessing” sentiment to the card front using thin foam squares and used glue to adhere the dragonfly to the upper right side of the card.  And with that step, this card was completed!

I hope you enjoyed the card and found inspiration for some of your own cardmaking projects.   Until next time… happy making!