Spellbinders Blog

Hello there, Michelle Short here to share a step-by-step tutorial with you using the Trailside Trio Etched Dies from the Allison Frazier Summer Camp collection. The other sets in collection work perfectly with the Trailside Trio, so I have combined two of those as well! So much fun getting to dress up the critters for summer activities!

DIE-CUTTING THE FOX + ASSEMBLY

Die cut the fox from Trailside Trio Etched Dies: Please note: the dies are shown in the photo facing upwards, so that you can see which die is cut from which cardstock. When die cutting, you need to have the cut side facing down onto the cardstock.

1. Place head, ears, body, arms, and tail dies onto Terra Cotta ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
2. Place inside ears, end of tail, and muzzle die, as well as chest piece, onto Alabaster ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
3. Place eyes and nose dies onto Raven ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
4. Place rectangle die (for behind the eyes) onto Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.

5. Run through Platinum Six Die Cutting Machine using the following sandwich (bottom to top):

• A Platform Base
• B Platform Top
• C Cutting Plate
• Cardstock with die on top
• C Cutting Plate

6. Pop die cuts out of cardstock.
7. Add Bearly Art Glue on the back of the head, around the eyes.

8. Adhere white rectangle piece on top.

9. Flip head back over to the front.
10. Add small dabs of glue in the eye sockets.
11. Adhere eyes on top.

TIP: The Pick Up Tool, is really helpful for picking up small die cuts!

12. Add glue onto the back of the muzzle.
13. Adhere onto the bottom of the face.

14. Adhere inside ear pieces to main parts of the ear using Bearly Art Glue.

15. Add glue to the bottom part of the ears.
16. Adhere behind head.

17. Add small amount of glue to the top of the body.
18. Adhere head on top.
19. Flip over and secure in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.

TIP: Adding Best Ever Craft Tape to the back of die cuts help keep them in place while the glue dries but also gives some stability to the die cuts in areas where there is not much overlap.

20. Adhere chest piece at the top of the body, under the head.

21. Adhere end part of tail onto base of tail.
22. Add glue to the base of the tail.
23. Adhere behind body.
24. Flip over and secure in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.

25. Add glue to the top of the arms.
26. Adhere behind body.

LET’S DRESS HER UP FOR SUMMER!

1. Die cut swimming costume from Splash Days Etched Dies using Blush ColorWheel Cardstock for the main part, and Tutu ColorWheel Cardstock for the frill and bow.
2. Die cut bow from Camp Days Etched Dies using Tutu ColorWheel Cardstock.
3. Die cut ice cream cone from Camp Days Etched Dies using Fawn ColorWheel Cardstock.

4. Die cut ice cream from Chiffon ColorWheel Cardstock.

5. Add Bearly Art Glue onto the back of the swimming costume.
6. Adhere onto fox’s body.

7. Adhere frill on top.
8. Adhere bow to the top of the costume.

9. Adhere bow to the top of her head.
10. Adhere middle part to the centre of the bow.

11. Adhere ice cream on top of cone.
12. Adhere cone to fox’s hand.

CREATE THE BACKGROUND

1. Die cut Stripe Right Etched Dies from Chiffon, Coral, Beeswax, Seaside, Waterfall, and Teal Topaz ColorWheel Cardstock.

2. Adhere one of each colour stripe onto a panel of 80lb white cardstock, leaving a small gap between the stripes. Using a lighter-weight cardstock for the base will help when die-cutting through two layers of cardstock.

TIP: There will be lots of leftover stripes. Save them for future projects!

3. Place 7^th largest die from Essential Arches Etched Dies on top and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
4. Run through Platinum Six Die Cutting Machine using the same die cutting sandwich as above.

STAMP THE SENTIMENT

1. Place piece of Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock into Mini MISTI and hold in place with magnet.
2. Place ‘hello summer’ stamp from Summertime Sentiments Clear Stamp Set onto cardstock, impression side down.
3. Close door of Mini MISTI to pick up stamp.

4. Ink up stamp using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink.
5. Close Mini MISTI door to transfer the ink onto the cardstock.
6. Remove cardstock from MISTI and either set cardstock aside to dry for a few minutes or heat set sentiment.

TIP: The sentiment needs to be dry before die cutting out, otherwise the ink may smear. Pigment ink takes a little while longer to dry than dye ink, so it is something to be aware of.

7. Cut sentiment into a strip using the die from Always and Forever Sentiment Strips Press Plate & Die Set (or other suitable die) - place die on top of sentiment, hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape, and run through Platinum Six.

8. Remove sentiment strip from die and cut down either side using Guillotine Paper Trimmer.

ASSEMBLE CARD

1. Add thin foam tape onto the back of the arched piece.
2. Remove backings off foam tape.

TIP: Tweezers are not just great for picking up die cuts and placing them down, they are also really helpful when trying to remove backings off foam tape!

3. Adhere to A2-sized (4.25” x 5.5”) white card base.

4. Add foam squares on the back of the fox.
5. Remove backings off foam squares.

6. Adhere to card.

7. Add foam squares on the back of the sentiment.
8. Remove backings off foam squares.
9. Adhere to card.

10. To finish, add Pink Color Essentials Gems to the centres of the bows.

Whilst the card does have a lot of steps to it, they are easy to do if you follow along with the photos. If you wanted to simplify the card, you could remove the stipes and have a solid cardstock arch instead. I do like the colour that the stripes add to the card though! Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today. I hope you have a wonderful day! [spellbinders-supplies]S4-1503,S4-1504,S5-740,STP-269,S4-1450,S5-526,BP-025,SCS-142,CS-8-113,CS-8-141,CS-8-147,CS-8-148,CS-8-103,CS-8-104,CS-8-142,CS-8-108,CS-8-110,CS-8-115,CS-8-123,CS-8-124,CS-8-125,PE-104,T-098,T-066,T-023,SCS-123,SCS-241,PCG02E,SCS-267,MINIMISTI[/spellbinders-supplies]

Other Supplies

Thin foam tape, 80lb white cardstock, Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink

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Hello, friends – this is Allison Frazier, and I am absolutely thrilled to introduce my debut collection with Spellbinders called Summer Camp. This collection represents one of the biggest passions in my life. I grew up going to summer camp in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. It is my happy place, and I still go back to visit almost every summer! I really wanted to capture the feeling of being at camp with this collection, so of course there had to be several critters who could form lifelong friendships, learn new activities, and enjoy nature together. Cute critters are what drew me into card making at the beginning, so it’s very fitting that my first collection celebrates them. It was also very important to me to go beyond the traditional camp theme and celebrate the simple joy of summer. There are seven products in this collection – five die sets, a layering stencil set, and a set of sentiment stamps. I hope you will be inspired to create playful scenes that bring back your own memories of summer.

Trailside Trio

The Summer Camp collection centers around two sets of critters. With the Trailside Trio, you can create a fox, a raccoon, and a skunk. The unique feature of this die set is that each of the three animals starts with the same basic dies…the head, body, arms, and tail. From there, you can use the rest of the dies to create the unique features of each animal. Whether you use colored card stock, or you choose to color your die cuts with ink or markers, these critters are sure to make you smile.

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Woodland Trio

With this second set of critters, you can create a squirrel, a deer, and a hedgehog. Just like with the first set, the three animals share common dies, including the body, arms, and belly. This set is a bit different, though, because of the hedgehog. While the squirrel and the deer share the same head, the hedgehog has its own head, as well as the quills. Note that the bodies in this set are the same size as the Trailside Trio, which means that all the clothing and accessories fit each of the six animals in the collection.

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Camp Days

This large die set full of clothing and accessories is where the collection really starts to come to life. While I did include some traditional camping items, such as a campfire, s’mores, and a lantern, I also included some of the activities that one would enjoy at a summer camp, including tennis, archery, and hiking. Tennis was a must because I grew up in a tennis family, and it was one of the core activities at my camp. Archery was my son’s favorite activity when he went to camp. Hiking boots became one of my personal favorite accessories as I grew up and started exploring the great outdoors and landscapes around the world. I also included an ice cream cone because…well, it wouldn’t be my collection if there wasn’t ice cream somewhere!

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Splash Days

At my camp, we spent a good majority of time in the lake, and this second set of clothing and accessories celebrates some of the activities that would consume our days. The name of this set has special meaning because we always had an annual “Splash Day” event at my camp. The whole camp would be divided into teams, and we would have various fun and friendly competitions in the water. This set includes an adorable swimsuit, which you will discover to be quite versatile. There are also swim trunks and a life vest. Whether we were canoeing, sailing, or waterskiing, we learned from a young age that safety comes first. At the time, I never thought that a life vest could be this cute! Speaking of canoeing, there are dies to create a canoe and a paddle. There is also a fishing rod, along with a fish. I will be honest – I did not fish at camp. I also was in complete denial that there were fish in the lake at camp. Now that I am older and wiser, I still don’t think there are fish in that lake.

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Trails End

This die set includes three trees, a hammock, and a set of directional signs with eight different sentiments. This set carries special meaning in several ways. First, “Trails End” is the name of one of the cabins at my camp. Second, the trees are reminiscent of the whimsical trees that were on the décor in my son’s nursery. These trees can help set the scene for many of the activities in this collection. The tree trunks can also hold so many other shapes that you might have in your stash, including circles and ovals. I have always loved directional signs because they remind me of the ones at my own camp directing us to the various campsites that we would hike to every Wednesday. Sometimes we would just cook dinner and s’mores over a campfire, and sometimes, if we were lucky, we would pitch tents for the night. The hammock is one of my more recent camp traditions. I take a foldable hammock with me to camp every summer now, and it’s the perfect spot to relax and dream of being a kid again. It also represents a theme that is very important in today’s world and something that I especially enjoy when I return to camp, and that is “unplugging” from technology and other distractions.

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Lakeside Memories Stencil Set

This set of four layering stencils creates the perfect backdrop for a summer scene. The scene is very reminiscent of my camp, where we have a beautiful beachfront on a large lake surrounded be trees. I wanted this to be a very simple scene to stencil. You can add shading and details if you want, but you don’t need to. The scene was designed to fill a vertical A2 card, but you can adapt it to fit smaller sizes or even just stencil selective parts of the scene.

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Summertime Sentiments

This set of twenty-two stamps includes sentiments that will fit any summertime occasion. I tried to include specific sentiments that would go with all the activities, while also including very general summertime greetings. I used all capital letters for the sentiments to create a clean, bold aesthetic when trimmed into strips.

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One last important aspect of this collection is that I wanted you to be able to be creative and mix in your stash of other Spellbinders collections. The size of the critters and the accessories make them so adaptable, and I personally always love mixing and matching old with new. I hope you have enjoyed this glimpse into the memories and inspiration that went into the design of this collection. I am so thrilled and grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with Spellbinders. For more inspiration and ideas using the Summer Camp Collection, be sure to check out my YouTube Channel. I hope this collection brings a big smile to your face. I can’t wait to see what you create!

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Hello there, Michelle Short here to share a step-by-step tutorial with you using the Rolling Craft Tote Etched Dies from the We All Have Baggage collection. This set, along with the others in the collection, are made to bring awareness to the crafting community regarding mental health issues. It is a reminder that we all face obstacles in life, but as a community, we can come together to support one another. Crafting is a great way to leave worries behind for a while and enjoy the process, and this collection is perfect for making cards for crafty friends.

DIE CUTTING THE TOTE + ASSEMBLY

Die cut the Rolling Craft Tote: Please note: the dies are shown in the photo facing upwards, so that you can see which die is cut from which cardstock. When die cutting, you need to have the cut side facing down onto the cardstock.

1. Place main parts of craft tote dies onto Lavender ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
2. Place side parts/shadow of pockets dies onto Lilac ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
3. Place straps, top of handle, and base of tote dies onto Raven ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
4. Place handle and wheel die onto Anchor ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
5. Place metal handles die onto Matte Metallic Silver Treasured Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.

TIP: Die cutting small dies is a great way to use up scraps of cardstock!

6. Run through Platinum Six Die Cutting Machine using the following sandwich (bottom to top):

• A Platform Base
• B Platform Top
• C Cutting Plate
• Cardstock with die on top
• C Cutting Plate

7. Repeat process to cut label from Matte Metallic Silver Treasured Cardstock.

8. Pop die cuts out of cardstock.
9. Add Bearly Art Glue on the back of the front part of the craft tote.

10. Adhere to base layer of craft tote.

11. Adhere top parts of pockets onto base layer of pockets.

TIP: Tweezers are really helpful to pick up die cuts and place them down. You can hover the die cut in place first, before sticking down.

12. Adhere side pocket to side of craft tote.
13. Adhere front pocket to front of craft tote.

Please note: Before adhering the front pocket, the straps should have been adhered first. If you are a beginner, please know that everyone makes mistakes occasionally. Thankfully, most of them are easy to rectify (see step 13!).

14. Adhere top of wheel to base of wheel using Pick Up Tool.

15. Adhere wheel to base of craft tote.

16. Add small amount of glue to the top of the base of craft tote.
17. Adhere main craft tote piece on top.

18. If you haven’t already added the straps, gently peel back the top part of the pocket and adhere straps in place.

TIP: The great thing about using liquid glue for these kinds of die cuts is that the glue takes a few minutes to dry, and you can usually lift something up if it has been placed incorrectly before it dries.

19. Add glue to the bottom part of the handle.
20. Adhere craft tote on top.

21. Add glue to the bottom part of the top part of the handles.
22. Adhere behind the bottom part of the handles.

23. Adhere top part of handles.
24. Adhere label to the front of the craft tote.

Note: There are etching lines on the die cuts to show where the die cut layers need to be placed.

STAMP THE SENTIMENT

1. Place A2 sized (4.25” x 5.5”) white card base into Mini MISTI.
2. Hold in place with magnet.
3. Place craft tote on the right-hand side as a guide for placement of the sentiment.
4. Place ‘keep calm and craft on’ sentiment from Keep Calm Sentiments Stamp Set on the top left-hand corner of the card, impression side down.

5. Remove craft tote.
6. Close door of Mini MISTI to pick up the stamp.
7. Ink up stamp using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink.

8. Close door of Mini MISTI to transfer ink onto card.

CARD ASSEMBLY

1. Add foam squares onto back of craft tote.
2. Remove backings off foam tape.

3. Adhere to card.

EMBELLISH WITH FLOWERS + GEMS

Die cut flowers and leaves from Little Blooms Etched Dies:

1. Die cut two-layer flowers from Lilac and Fairy Tale ColorWheel Cardstock.
2. Repeat the process so that you have two flowers cut from Fairy Tale cardstock.
3. Die cut flower centres from Beeswax ColorWheel Cardstock.
4. Die cut flowers from Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock.
5. Die cut leaves from Peridot ColorWheel Cardstock.
6. Repeat the process so that you have seven leaves.

7. Adhere flower centres to back petal of flowers.

8. Adhere front petal pieces on top.

9. Adhere flower centres to white flowers.

10. Adhere first flower to top right of craft tote, popping underneath the corner, using Bearly Art Glue.

11. Adhere two flowers on top.

12. Adhere leaves around the flowers. You may need to cut the base of the leaves off using scissors to fit underneath the flowers.

13. Adhere flowers to the left side of the craft tote.
14. Adhere leaves around the flowers.

15. To finish, add Prism AB Gems around the flowers and leaves.

I love the addition of flowers around the tote, but these are optional. The craft tote would look great on its own too! I made the tote purple as I would love a purple craft tote, but you can customise the colours to the recipient. Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today, I hope you have a wonderful day! [spellbinders-supplies]S5-714,CM821,S2-380,SCS-171,CS-8-136,CS-8-137,CS-8-147,CS-8-146,SCSP-002,CS-8-135,CS-8-115,CS-8-148,PE-104,T-023,T-098,SCS-267,PCG02E,SCS-123,MINIMISTI[/spellbinders-supplies]

Other Supplies

Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink,

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