Category: Spellbinders

Create Holiday Cards from Your Craft Stash

Published on by Rowhouse GreetingsLeave a comment

HEY FRIENDS! Can you relate? It seems like I’m always buying new craft supplies that I bring home, put in my studio, and then promptly forget that I have them. The holiday sales and new releases are tempting. Still, I thought I’d do a series of cards created from items already in my stash.

A friend recently requested that I make five holiday cards that he will give to members of his family. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to go shopping in my studio. So today I’m showing off the card made for his sixteen year old grandson. It features the Gnome Drive Holidays die set by Sizzix.

I listed the materials that I used for today’s project. Shop your stash and see what items you either have already or can substitute. Inevitably, someone will message me to ask where to find a particular product. I’ve had some items so long that they’re retired. But where possible, I’ve linked available supplies with compensated affiliate links used where possible at no cost to you.

Rowhouse Greetings | Gnome Driving Holiday by Spellbinders

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I wasn’t sure if my friend would send the cards or insert a gift card or money. So I switched to an A7 format (5″ x 7″) so that he would have enough room to insert a surprise for the recipient. The majority of my dies and stamps are sized for A2 cards so I needed to so some advanced planning. Luckily I have have the A7 Matting Basics die sets from Spellbinders (both A & B) so that I could use them to cut the panels. I was inspired by an unattributed card on the Spellbinders website that I found on Pinterest. However, I made some changes to match my own style.

There are a couple of products where it’s not obvious how they were used. The Classic Fluted Squares die set included two plain square dies that were the perfect size for stamping and matting the sentiment. I don’t have many square die sets. This set was perfect for my purposes even though I didn’t need the more decorative dies in the set.

I used the Postage Edge Shapes dies to create the decorative border on the bottom of the background panel. I used the die that measures 4.26″ x 5.50″ to cut a panel from the teal and red card stocks. I cut a 1.5″ strip off the narrower side and stacked them as shown to create the border.

Also, I didn’t list a red card stock in my supply list. I think I used one from the Concord and 9th Assorted Color Pack. Use what ever you have in your stash.

That’s all for today!

Rowhouse Greetings | Nancy Sheads

Supplies

[Compensated affiliate links used when possible. In addition, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Items marked with an asterisk (*) were provided by a store or the manufacturer. All other items were personally purchased.]

Picked Fresh Anemones | Spellbinders

Picked Fresh Anemones | Spellbinders

Published on by Rowhouse Greetings4 Comments

HEY FRIENDS! I’m back today with something a little different. I’m featuring one of the flower images from the Picked Fresh Anemones die set from Spellbinders. No Copic coloring, but a bit of mixed media using dies, inks, stamps, stencil and even my new Betterpress System which was a Christmas gift from my parents. It’s also a little more complex so I’ve provided step-by-step instructions below.

I’m entering this project into the Spellbinders Cardmaking Super Star Contest so check it out if you’re interested!

I’ve linked all supplies with compensated affiliate links used where possible at no cost to you.

Today’s Project – Picked Fresh Anemones

Picked Fresh Anemones | Spellbinders

Step by Step Instructions – Picked Fresh Anemones

  1. Cardbase: Cut a piece of Snowdrift cardstock to 4.25″ x 11″ and score at 5.5″ to create a top folding card base.
  2. Base Layer / Sentiment: Cut a Betterpress Cotton Panels to 4″ x 5.25″ and attach to the Betterpress Letterpress platen (clear top plate with registration marks). Position the sentiment plate from the A Friend Like You Bouquet Press Plate on the Betterpress chase and ink with Betterpress Black Ink. Run the Betterpress through a compatible die machine (I used my Platinum 6). Remove the cardstock and set aside.
  3. Support Layers: Cut the cardstock layers from the Everlasting Squares die set as follows:
    • Cut a piece of Snowdrift cardstock using Square 4 (3.5 “x 3.5”).
    • Cut a piece of Pink Sand cardstock using Square 7 (2.75″ x 2.75″). Cut the square in half along the diagonal.
  4. Mixed Media Layer: Cut a piece of Snowdrift cardstock using Square 6 (3″ x 3″) in the Everlasting Squares die set.
    • Using a circle die and a black Micron Pen, trace the inside of the die multiple times, moving a little to the left or right, up or down as you make the circle. I used the Classic Circles die from Spellbinders which is now retired, but you can use any circle die in your stash.
    • Using the Hummingbird Textures Stencil, randomly ink blend the patterns using the following Distress Inks: Salvaged Patina, Twisted Citron, and Kitsch Flamingo.
    • Using Distress Ink in Salty Ocean, press the ink pad into your craft mat so that it leaves some ink behind and spray with a small amount of water. Pick up the ink with a brush and splatter across the background. Blot any excess ink and allow to dry thoroughly (you can use a heat gun on a low setting to speed up the process).
    • Randomly stamp images from the Sign Here stamp set using Archival Ink in Jet Black. Allow ink to dry thoroughly.
  5. Die Layer: Using the Picked Fresh Anemones die set, die cut the pieces for the anemone and stem for the selected flower from cardstock as follows:
    • Cut the front petals from Pink Sand.
    • Cut one set of the back petals from Pink Sand and a second set from Snowdrift.
    • Cut one set of the stem/leaves from Peridot and a second set from Snowdrift.
    • Cut the flower center from Onyx, Peridot, and Snowdrift.
  6. Flowers: Lightly blend a layer of Distress Inks on the die cut pieces as follows:
    • Add Twisted Citron and Mowed Lawn to the Peridot cardstock for the stem/leaves.
    • Add Kitsch Flamingo and Picked Raspberry to the Pink Sand cardstock for the front and back petals.
    • Assemble flower as shown using Connect Glue. I added the layer of Snowdrift cardstock to the back of the assembled flower for added dimension. Glue the Snowdrift cardstock to the back of the stem/leaves before assembling the flower. Glue the Snowdrift cardstock to the behind the back petals after assembling the flower.
    • Add a light layer of Distress Micro Glaze to enhance and seal the ink colors.
    • Embellish with a white gel pen if desired.
  7. Finishing: Assemble layers as shown. I use Beacon’s Advanced Craft Glue for the larger layers.

Hope you enjoyed today’s project!

Rowhouse Greetings | Nancy Sheads

Supplies

[Compensated affiliate links used when possible. In addition, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Items marked with an asterisk (*) were provided by a store or the manufacturer. All other items were personally purchased.]

Rowhouse Greetings | Layered Merry Christmas Foliage by Spellbinders

Layered Merry Christmas Foliage | Spellbinders

Published on by Rowhouse Greetings2 Comments

HEY FRIENDS! It’s World Cardmaking Day! Now there’s a holiday that I can get behind! And since I’m in full holiday cardmaking mode, I have a simple Christmas card to honor the day featuring the Layered Merry Christmas Foliage stencil set by Spellbinders. Since the design is stenciled, this would be an easy card to make in bulk for the holidays. I stuck with traditional Christmas colors, but non-traditional color palettes would work just as well.

As always, I’ve linked supplies with compensated affiliate links used where possible at no cost to you.

Rowhouse Greetings | Layered Merry Christmas Foliage by Spellbinders

Featured Supplies

[Compensated affiliate links used when possible. In addition, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Items marked with an asterisk (*) were provided by a store or the manufacturer. All other items were personally purchased.]

Layered Merry Christmas Foliage | Spellbinders

Layered Merry Christmas Foliage | Spellbinders
[ SBC | SSS ]

Nesting Rectangle Infinity Dies | Hero Arts

Nesting Rectangle Infinity Dies | Hero Arts
[ SBC ]

Pixie Tape | iCraft

Pixie Tape Repositionable Adhesive | Therm-O-Web
[ SBC | SSS ]

Ink Blending Tool with Domed Foam Applicators | Scrapbook.com

Ink Blending Tool with Domed Foam Applicators
[ SBC ]

Ink Blending Tool Replacement Domed Foam Applicators - 10 pack

Ink Blending Tool Replacement Domed Foam Applicators – 10 pack
[ SBC ]

Distress Ink - Salvaged Patina

Distress Ink – Salvaged Patina
[ SBC | SSS ]

Distress Ink - Twisted Citron

Distress Ink – Twisted Citron
[ SBC | SSS ]

Distress Ink - Mowed Lawn

Distress Ink – Mowed Lawn
[ SBC | SSS ]

Distress Ink - Festive Berries | Ranger / Tim Holtz

Distress Ink Festive Berries
[ SBC | SSS ]

Distress Ink - Peacock Feathers | Ranger / Tim Holtz

Distress Ink – Peacock Feathers
[ SBC | SSS ]

Distress Ink - Lumberjack Plaid | Ranger / Tim Holtz

Distress Ink – Lumberjack Plaid
[ SBC | SSS ]

Distress Ink - Mustard Seed | Ranger / Tim Holtz

Distress Ink – Mustard Seed
[ SBC | SSS ]

3-in-1 Advanced Craft Glue | Beacon

Beacon 3-in-1 Advanced Craft Glue
[ SSS ]

Hammermill Color Copy Digital Cover, 100 lb.

Hammermill 100 lb Smooth Cardstock
[ AZ ]

Classic Crest Solar White | Neenah

Solar White Cardstock | Neenah
[ AZ ]

This card is really easy to put together. I’ve created a short video showing you the stenciling portion of the card.

Since I work on a Glassboard, I usually hold down my stencils with magnets. However, there wasn’t enough of a margin on the stencil so I simply held the stencils in place with Pixie Repositionable Tape. It’s a low tack tape and peels off cleanly. I also used domed foam blenders for the ink blending. Since they’re relatively inexpensive, I can have a blender for each ink pad rather than a blender for each color family.

That’s all for now!

Rowhouse Greetings | Nancy Sheads

Stylish Merry Christmas – Spellbinders

Published on by Rowhouse Greetings1 Comment

HEY FRIENDS! I’ve got something a little different today. I’ve been trying to design a few cards that could be mass produced. You know I love creating one of a kind cards with lots of Copic coloring, but that’s just not practical if you have to create a lot of cards or you’re in a time crunch. So today’s card is a simple design featuring the Stylish Merry Christmas die from Spellbinders. As always, I’ve linked supplies with compensated affiliate links used where possible at no cost to you.

Rowhouse Greetings | Stylish Merry Christmas by Spellbinders

STYLISH MERRY CHRISTMAS
SIZE: A2
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I started with a piece of Scenic Poinsettias 3D Embossing Folder. Many crafters suggest misting the cardstock with water first, but I didn’t find it necessary. I glued the embossed panel to the front of an A2 cardbase cut from 110# Neenah Classic Crest.

As some of you know, I recently purchased a new Spellbinders Platinum 6 die cutting machine — which I love — but it didn’t come with the plates to create the correct sandwich for 3D embossing folders. So yesterday I splurged on the purchase of the Universal Plate System by Spellbinders. At first, I wasn’t going to because I thought the only reason I might need it was to create slimline cards (which I rarely make). However, I decided that it was a necessity once I realized that I would need it for 3D embossing folders.

With the Stylish Merry Christmas die set, I did the following:

  • Cut a piece of red foil cardstock with the letter die and popped out the letters. I set aside the background for another project.
  • Applied a sheet of double sided adhesive to the front of a piece of Neenah cardstock and used the background die to cut the solid shape.
  • Taped the letter die and background die together using Spellbinders Best Ever Craft Tape and die cut a piece of Neenah cardstock using the combined die. I popped out the white letters and set them aside for another project.

This resulted in:

  • Letters cut from red foiled cardstock
  • A solid background piece with adhesive on the front
  • A shaped diecut with the letters removed.

Next I removed the adhesive backing, adhered the solid background to the back of the lettered die cut, and inlayed the red foiled letters into the spaces. Since the adhesive sheet was exposed through the openings, I could easily inlay the letters without any additional (or messy) adhesive.

It happened that I already had a small stash of sentiment strips that I had created using the Mini Christmas Sentiments Glimmer Plate with Silver Glimmer Hot Foil and the Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foil System. It happened that I already had the sentiment strip created since I made a few extras the last time I had my Glimmer Foil System set up. I don’t know that I would necessarily create the sentiment this way if I were creating this card in bulk, but there are plenty of single line sentiment stamps that would work if embossed on black cardstock with white embossing powder.

Rowhouse Greetings | Stylish Merry Christmas by Spellbinders

Once I had all the elements of the card, all that was left was to assemble the layers as shown. I used Beacons 3-in-1 Advanced Craft Glue to adhere the embossed panel to the card base and the Merry Christmas die cut to the front of the card. I used Art Glitter Glue to adhere the smaller sentiment strip along the bottom.

That’s all from me today! See you again soon!

Rowhouse Greetings | Nancy Sheads

Supplies

[Compensated affiliate links used when possible. In addition, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Items marked with an asterisk (*) were provided by a store or the manufacturer. All other items were personally purchased.]

Building a Snowman by Spellbinders

Published on by Rowhouse Greetings3 Comments

GOOD MORNING FRIENDS! Today I’m sharing one of the designs that I’m considering for this year’s holiday cards. I usually try to put together a few designs — often made from die cuts — that I can quickly put together in bulk. My husband seems to have an ever-growing holiday mailing list so I need to have designs that are easy to pull together to prevent a repeat of that year that he went out to Hallmark and bought cards. I’m experimenting with the Building a Snowman Shapeability die from Spellbinders. I love these dies because they are large, simple and perfect for scene building. Add a little ink blending and a sentiment and you have a card ready to go.

Rowhouse Greetings | Building a Snowman by Spellbinders

Creating the Background

For the background, I cut a piece of white card stock to 3.75″ x 4.25″ and masked off the bottom at 5/8″ for the sentiment. I used Distress Inks in Mustard Seed, Tumbled Glass, Broken China, and Chipped Sapphire to create an ink blended background. With the mask still in place, I splattered Nuvo Mica Mist in Nebula Blue and Antique Gold and let it dry. Then I removed the mask and stamped the sentiment using Versafine Clair in Blue Belle. For added stability and dimension, I glued a piece of craft foam to the back before adhering the background to the card base.

Rowhouse Greetings | Building a Snowman by Spellbinders

Putting It All Together!

I cut the image out twice from white card stock and glued them together. I put foam squares on the back of the die cut and adhered it to the background, placing it just above the stamped sentiment.

Rowhouse Greetings | Building a Snowman by Spellbinders

Fun, festive and husband approved!

Hope you found some inspiration. Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you again soon!

Disclosure: Below are the supplies I’ve used for today’s project. All items were personally purchased except those marked with an asterisk (*) which were provided by a store or design team. I never share a product I do not like. All opinions are my own. Read more.

Where available I use compensated affiliate links, meaning that at no cost to you I receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I use this money to support my blog. If you like my projects, please consider supporting me by clicking through these links when you shop. Thanks so much! Read more.

Supplies

Paper: Neenah Solar White 80# & 110#
Stamp: Christmas Sentiments by Penny Black
Die: Shapeability Dies – Building a Snowman by Spellbinders
Inks: Versafine Clair in Blue Belle by Tsukineko; Distress Inks in Mustard Seed, Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Chipped Sapphire
Embellishments: Nuvo Mica Mist in Nebula Blue and Antique Gold by Tonic Studios