Spellbinders Blog

Hello crafty friends! It’s Lisa Tilson here with you today. I am thrilled to be back on the Spellbinders blog to share a card featuring the Color Block Accent Arches, which are part of the Just Add Cake Birthday Cardmaking Kit Add-Ons. I am going to be taking you through this card with a step-by-step photo tutorial. It’s a fun card to make!

Happy Birthday

For all of the die cutting, use the Platinum SIX Die Cutting Machine with the die cutting sandwich as follows (from bottom to top):

• Plate A – Platform Base
• Plate B – Platform Top
• Plate C – Cutting Plate
• Plate C – Cutting Plate

The cardstock/die will be inserted between the two cutting plates with the die sitting on top of the cardstock, cutting side down. For the letterpressing, use the BetterPress LetterPress System, which works in conjunction with the Platinum SIX Die Cutting Machine.

Creating The Background

1. Die cut the largest arch from Essential Arches Etched Dies from 80lb white cardstock.
2. Die cut the largest arch from Color Block Accent Arches from Waterfall ColorWheel Cardstock.

Note: the dies are shown face up to make it easier for you to see what is being die cut. To die cut them, flip the dies over so the cutting side is directly on the cardstock and tape them in place using Best Ever Craft Tape.

3. Put the dies/cardstock in between the two cutting places and run them through your Platinum SIX Die Cutting Machine.

4. Die cut the second largest arch from Color Block Accent Arches from Seaside ColorWheel Cardstock.
5. Die cut the fourth largest arch from Essential Arches Etched Dies from 80lb white cardstock.

6. Put Bearly Art Glue onto the back of the Waterfall and Seaside arch die cuts.

7. Adhere them onto their respective white bases.

8. Put liquid glue onto the back of the smallest white arch stack.

9. Adhere that onto the larger arch, making sure to leave an even gap around the edge.

Die Cutting and Assembling Darling Dog

1. Taking the Darling Dog Etched Dies, die cut the head, body, and ear sections from Fawn ColorWheel Cardstock.
2. Die cut the two paw pieces from Blush ColorWheel Cardstock (these will sit behind the paws when you come to assemble the dog).
3. Die-cut the inner ears, fur pieces, and muzzle from Alabaster ColorWheel Cardstock.
4. Die cut the envelope, headband, nose/eye die from 80lb white cardstock.
5. Die cut the hearts, ribbon, and medal from Lilac ColorWheel Cardstock.

TIP: Store all of your dies and die cuts in a Craft Stax so you keep everything in one place and don’t lose those teeny tiny pieces! Note: some of these dies will be cut a second time, but from different coloured cardstock. At the end, you will end up with some die cuts you won’t use.

6. Die-cut the medal die from white cardstock.
7. Die cut the nose/eye die from Raven ColorWheel Cardstock.
8. Die-cut the mouthpiece from Poppy ColorWheel Cardstock.

9. Temporarily adhere your Fawn colored die cuts onto a piece of scrap paper, and using a blending brush, add Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink around the edges of all of the die cuts.

10. Temporarily adhere your Alabaster colored die cuts onto scrap paper, and using mini and medium blending brushes, apply Antique Linen Distress Ink around the edges.

11. Using a Tool ‘n One, pop out the pieces in the paw and then add tiny dots of Bearly Art Glue around the back of the paw. Adhere the two pink paw die cuts.

12. Add small dabs of glue to the head die cut and adhere the inner ear pieces.

13. Add liquid glue to the back of the larger ear pieces and then adhere them next to the inner ear pieces.

TIP: You will see that there are etched lines on your die cut, which will help you with placement.

14. Add liquid glue to the muzzle section on the head and adhere the muzzle die cut on top.

15. Adhere the two white eyes.

16. Turn the head over and add small dabs of glue around the eyebrow sections. Adhere your two cream eyebrow pieces.

17. Adhere the cream fur to the body.

18. Add a small line of liquid glue along the top of the body and adhere the head on top.

19. Adhere the bit of fur at the top of the head.

20. Adhere the black nose and mouth pieces.

21. Adhere the tiny red die cut onto the end of the tongue.

22. Add two small dabs of glue onto the white eyes and adhere the little black eye pieces.

TIP: A pick-up tool will help with placing those very small die cuts. Use tweezers for larger die cuts.

23. Adhere the purple heart onto the white envelope.

24. Adhere the two purple hearts onto the headband.

25. Adhere the white circle die cut onto the purple ribbon.

26. Adhere the white star surround die cut followed by the tiny purple star!

27. Cut the balloon and string from Classic Mouse Love Etched Dies. Cut the balloon from Lilac ColorWheel Cardstock and the string from white cardstock.

28. Add a small dot of glue to the bottom of the balloon and adhere the string.

Pressing Your Sentiment

1. Take the Always and Forever Sentiment Strips Press Plate and Die Set and place it onto the magnetic platform of the BetterPress Letterpress System.
2. Adhere a panel of A2-panel of Porcelain BetterPress Cardstock to the underside of your platen (clear top plate) using small pieces of yellow tape.
3. Ink up the plate using BetterPress Black Ink.
4. Pop the platen back onto the magnetic platform.

5. Run the sandwich through the Platinum SIX Die Cutting Machine.

6. Tape the coordinating die set onto the panel of pressed sentiments and run it through the die cutting machine.

Assembling The Card

1. Adhere your arched stack to a white note card using liquid glue.

2. Adhere the headband, envelope, balloon string, and medal onto your dog using liquid adhesive.

3. Put some White Foam Squares onto the back of the dog and the balloon, and remove the backing paper.

4. Adhere the dog down onto your arched panel. Temporarily place the sentiment onto the bottom of the panel so that you can see where your dog needs to be placed.

5. Put some small White Foam Squares onto the back of the sentiment, remove the backing paper, and place it down onto the panel under the dog.
6. Give yourself a high five! You are done!

Although this card has a lot of steps, it really is mostly die cutting and sticking things back together! I hope this step-by-step tutorial will help guide you through the fun of creating a card with lots of interest and dimension! If you would like to see more of my cards, I would love to have you join me over on my blog, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube. In the meantime, thank you so much for being with me here on the Spellbinders blog today. I hope that you have a great day! [spellbinders-supplies]S5-743,S5-526,S5-734,S4-1522,BP-025,BPC-002,BPI-043,CS-8-147,CS-8-100,CS-8-142,CS-8-141,CS-8-103,CS-8-137,CS-8-123,CS-8-124,SCS-267,SCS-123,T-035,T-024,T-042,T-043,T-045,T-034,PCGO2E,T-056,PE-104,BP-001[/spellbinders-supplies]

Other Supplies

Neenah 80/110lb Classic Crest Solar White Cardstock, temporary adhesive, embellishment wand/pick up tool, Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink Mini, Antique Linen Distress Ink

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Hi folks, Kavya from @handmadebykavya here with another project! If you follow me on Instagram, you know I love finding ways to make my die cuts more dynamic. In this tutorial, I am going to share a creative ideas to bring Jaycee’s All My Senses collection to life using layering and ink blending!

Instructions

Begin by die-cutting a Raven cardstock panel to serve as your base. Emboss this base using the Molded Frame 3D Embossing folder. To frame the card, die-cut a series of thin rectangular frames using rectangle nesting dies from gold mirror cardstock. Adhere these to the black panel to create an elegant, layered border. Die-cut Fragmented Gaze Etched die elements from various cardstock colors. Use a soft peach for the skin tones and a vibrant purple for the clothing. Use your scraps! This is the best part of this set. You can use any color and your card will definitely turn out good, no matter what! Die-cut the main hair piece from a Cosmic Sky cardstock. This provides a rich color for further detailing and dimension. To make the hair look more realistic, use a small blending brush and Black Soot Distress Oxide ink. Apply the ink to the top and inner curves of the hair to create deep shadows and dimension. To add interest to the shoulder piece, ink blend the edges with Villainous Potion Distress Oxide ink. This creates a beautiful gradient on the purple cardstock. To add a soft glow to the face, ink blend the edges of the top layer of the face using Antique Linen Distress Oxide ink. This creates a subtle highlight that makes the features pop. Switch to Vintage Photo Distress Oxide to add deeper definition to the bottom layer of the face. This step is crucial for making the flat die cuts appear 3D. Ink blend the rest of the pieces using Picked Raspberry Distress Oxide on the pink tone bits to add dimension. Start adhering the face, neck, and other elements together. Use fine-tip tweezers to carefully place smaller elements if needed! Die-cut a variety of leaves and flowers from the Envelopes of Wonder Die Set using shades of green, red, and pink cardstock to decorate the portrait. This is another perfect opportunity to use your leftover scraps! Ink blend the leaves with a Chipped Sapphire distress oxide and Picked Raspberry Distress Oxide on the pink floral bits to add dimension. Assemble the flowers! Add details using a white gel pen. I like to add tiny decorative dots to the centers of the red flowers. This small detail makes a huge difference in the final look! Die-cut the "hugs" sentiment from Vivid Scripts die set. Assemble the card by adhering the portrait and floral elements to the framed base using foam tape for extra dimension. Finally, tuck the "hugs" sentiment near the bottom of the portrait, and you are done! That’s it! I hope you like this card! Can’t wait to see what you all make. Happy Crafting, Kavya [spellbinders-supplies]E3D-130,S5-730,BD-0786,S5-679,CS-8-147,SCS-118,CS-8-133[/spellbinders-supplies]

Other Supplies

Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen, Distress Oxide Inks: Antique Linen, Vintage Photo, Picked Raspberry, Black Soot, Villainous Potion, Chipped Sapphire

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What does it mean to be human? It is to perceive, to feel, to taste, and to touch the world around us. My name is Jaycee Gaspar, and with the All My Senses collection, we’re embarking on an artistic journey that breaks down and builds up the familiar human experience. This collection is an exploration of the human experience through the lens of continuous line art and the structural beauty of Cubism. Whether you are drawn to fluid, ethereal profiles or bold, geometric facets, these designs are meant to be a sensory puzzle for your imagination. Because these sets are built on tonal values and intentional planes, they pair perfectly with color palette systems like the DIY Color Deck or the Sarah Renee Clark Color Cubes. Let’s dive into the projects.

The Connective Tissue: All My Senses Sentiments

Up first is the All My Senses BetterPress Plate and Die Set. This set features eight sentiments with individual coordinating dies for various occasions. These sentiments act as the connective tissue for the entire collection, anchoring the more abstract elements we’ll be building today. For the best results, I recommend using two shims on your BetterPress System to get those fine line prints and beautiful texture.

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Setting the Scene: Ambient Aura Stencils

The Ambient Aura Stencil Set is a collection of six stencils designed to work together, separately, or even fragmented. There is no "correct" order to layer these images, but I recommend planning from lightest to darkest value to keep your colors crisp. By strategically shifting the amorphous shapes, you can avoid muddying colors and create a backdrop that feels like a unique energy surrounding your subjects.

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The Heartbeat: Whisper Weave

Whisper Weave brings us back to the human form using a clean, uninterrupted single-line style. It features two striking portraits illustrating the delicate, woven connection between our thoughts and our senses. I love using select images from Ambient Aura to create intentional "spotlights" behind these faces, then using alcohol-based markers to selectively outline key facial elements like the cheekbones and jawline to elevate the illustration.

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The Bridge: Line of Being

The Line of Being cutting die is the perfect bridge between our artistic inspirations: it carries the fluidity of a continuous line drawing but introduces the structural, segmented feel of Cubism. This die is designed to allow you to seamlessly inlay and align intricate cut pieces into their respective spots. By stacking cardstock fragments, we can create a bold focal point that truly "stands out" from the page.

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The Structure: Fragmented Gaze

As we move further into the collection, we transition from fluid lines into something more structural and grounded with Fragmented Gaze. This set fully embraces Cubism by deconstructing the portrait into bold, intentional planes. It utilizes nine cutting dies to examine the human form as a collection of angles, shadows, and light. Reference your assembly guide to ensure you’re getting the correct shadows to give this angled visage true dimension.

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The Ultimate Expression: Sensory Facets

We conclude our journey with Sensory Facets, the most complex and rewarding set in the collection. Featuring 20 intricate cutting dies, this set allows you to build a full-face portrait from the shoulders up. By using mirrored heart shapes for the cheeks and a perfectly symmetrical split-face design, we are illustrating the internal balance of our senses. It is a graphic, beautiful puzzle that celebrates the duality of our experiences.

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Conclusion: Let's Create

From a single line to a complete, multifaceted human experience, "All My Senses" was designed to be a puzzle for your imagination. I am so grateful you chose to piece it together with me today. I can't wait to see which of your senses you decide to highlight first. Let’s create.

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