Spellbinders Blog

Hello, crafty friend! I’m Adrienne Boese, better known online as Alice Scraps Wonderland. There’s nothing quite so delicate as swans floating over the water. So today, we are going to recreate those ethereal vibes in cardstock and patterned paper using the Buttons & Keepsakes collection designed by Frank Garcia. In this tutorial, we’ll be using some simple techniques including die cutting, embossing, paper layering, and paper tearing. These are great foundational techniques that can really make any project pop while giving it texture and dimension. We’ll also make use of one of the Better Press plates in the Buttons & Keepsakes collection. Let’s get started.

• Using Classic White Color Wheel Cardstock, trim and score an A2 card base (trim cardstock to 8 ½ x 5 ½, then score at 4 ¼ so when the card is folded it measures 5 ½ x 4 ¼ inches).
• Select a pattern from the Buttons & Keepsakes 6x6 paper pad, trimming one to 5 3/8 x 4 1/8 inches. (Keep in mind that we are making a landscape orientation card, so cut your paper accordingly!) Distress the edges with the blade of your scissors by dragging one of the blades back and forth over the edge of the paper.
• Attach this patterned paper to the white card base with your favorite adhesive.
• Select a second pattern from the Buttons & Keepsakes 6x6 paper pad and trim it to 5 ¼ x 3 inches. Tear the top half off so that the bottom half shows the white core and distress the other 3 edges with your scissors. This will create one “paper wave” layer.

TIP: You can also use a distressing tool or thread cutter tool to distress your paper edges with.

• Trim a piece of Alabaster Color Wheel Cardstock to an A2 size, mist it with water, then place it in the Haberdashery Buttons 3D embossing folder. Run it through your Platinum with the D adapter plate sandwich configuration.
• Tear your embossed cardstock down the center to create another “paper wave” layer. Then trim one edge to make the embossed cardstock 5 ¼ inches wide. Distress the other 3 edges of the cardstock
• If needed, trim the height on your patterned “paper wave” layer so that it layers nicely with the embossed cardstock layered underneath.
• Adhere the patterned layer to the embossed cardstock layer with 1 millimeter thick foam adhesive.

TIP: Keep the adhesive toward the bottom of the patterned paper layer so that you can layer your swans underneath later!

• Die cut the Keepsake Swans from these Color Wheel Cardstock colors: Classic White (body and tail feathers), Raven (face layer), Beeswax (bill), Alabaster (largest cape layer), Chiffon (smaller bow and upper cape layer), and Seaside (larger bow and third cape layer).

TIP: Die cut two of each of the bows and glue the two layers together only in the center. Bend the top bow up gently to create more dimension!

• Assemble your die-cut swans and their bows using your favorite liquid adhesive. Using a wax-tipped tool can help you place the tiny die cuts easily. Tweezers work great for larger die cuts!
• Tie some distressed silk ribbon into a bow, leaving long tails.
• Place the bow over the bottom left of the “paper wave” layers and wrap the tails over to the back. Use your favorite adhesive to take the tails in place on the back side of the waves and cut off the excess ribbon. Don’t add adhesive to the front side so you can layer your swan under the ribbon later.

• Place 1 millimeter thick foam adhesive on the back of the waves. Then adhere the waves with the bow to your card base, lining up the bottom of the waves with the bottom of the patterned paper on the card base.
• Tack the bow in place with a dot of hot glue to keep it from flopping around.
• From the remaining embossed cardstock, tear a thin strip, trim it to 5 ¼ inches wide, distress the other 3 edges, and attach it on top of the waves, lining up the bottom edges. It’s okay if it overlaps your bow a bit.

• Add your swans with foam adhesive, layering the one on the left between the bottom embossed cardstock and patterned paper waves, and the one on the right under your ribbon.
• Glue a button or cabochon to the center of your bow using hot glue.

• Place the Heirloom Words BetterPress plate onto your BetterPress platform. Ink the plate up with the Black Ink that came with your BetterPress (or in the Regal Tones ink set).
• Using Best Ever Craft Tape, attach an A2 BetterPress Cotton Card Panel in Porcelain to the clear plate of the BetterPress platform. Place this over the base of the platform on the magnets and roll this through your Platinum.

• Remove the Cotton Panel from the BetterPress platform and use the coordinating die to cut the sentiments out using the standard die sandwich and your Platinum.
• Attach a sentiment to the top center of your card using 1 millimeter thick foam adhesive.

• Add some Gold Pearls and Pink Color Essential Gems to your card for a bit of sparkle!

I hope you enjoyed this layered card tutorial. The Buttons & Keepsakes collection is such a wonderfully shabby and chic collection full of sewing notions and couture elements. And the dies, embossing folders, and BetterPress plates coordinate so wonderfully with the papers. I’ll have more inspiration and ideas using this collection for you, so don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and to check out my blog. Until next time, happy crafting! Adrienne [spellbinders-supplies]S4-1535,BP-364,E3D-176,BPC-002,CS-8-108,CS-8-115,CS-8-123,CS-8-141,CS-8-147,CS-8-148,SCS-137,SCS-142,SCS-123,BP-001,PE-104,T-058,967161[/spellbinders-supplies]

Other Supplies

Foam adhesive (1 mm thick), roller adhesive (dotted and/or permanent), liquid adhesive, hot glue, scissors, paper trimmer, tweezers, wax tipped tool, distressed silk ribbon, button or cabochon

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Hi everyone! My name is Melissa Phillips. I’m delighted to join you today with a card tutorial using the new Buttons & Bows Collection from Frank Garcia Studios. This new Collection is dreamy, fresh, ethereal, and full of beautiful possibilities. In the Buttons & Bows Collection, you’ll find lovely layered swans complete with bows, a vintage dress form die set and Impression Plate, and of course a buttons and bows embossing folder. Each element is thoughtfully designed to work together and create the most meaningful of cards, scrapbook pages, tags, and more. Let’s get started! Begin with a block of white cardstock and swan dies. Run cardstock and dies through your Platinum Machine with Universal Plate System. Place die cut items and place on sticky mat to hold pieces securely in place while adding color. Using Large Blending Brushes, lightly sponge colors onto die-cut pieces of each swan and then assemble. Using the Playful Stitched Panels Etched Dies, cut a block of light blue cardstock using the largest die. Using the third smallest Stitched Panels Die, cut a block of vellum. Using pink ink and the BetterPress Letterpress System, create a background using the Vintage Atelier Plate. Die cut using the second smallest Stitched Panels Die. Layer the impressed dress form image over the light blue block of cardstock. Layer the block of vellum over the top of the dress form image.  Now your card front is ready for you to embellish! Use dimensional adhesive, such as White Foam Adhesive Squares, to adhere your swans to the card front, offsetting the swans slightly. Using the same technique as above, impress your sentiment using the Heirloom Words BetterPress Impression Plate and black ink.  Run completed sentiment through your die-cut machine with the coordinating dies.  Adhere sentiment using foam adhesive squares in the upper right corner.  Adhere to pink cardstock base. Our card is now complete and just as beautiful and unique as can be.  Just add your favorite sequins and a bit of Crystal Stickles Glitter, and you’ll create a bit of shimmer and shine to take your card over the top! Thank you so much for joining me today.  You’ll definitely want to add these gorgeous items to your cart.  They are unforgettable and timeless in every way! Melissa [spellbinders-supplies]S4-1535,PL-126,77346,T-060,S5-747,BP-001,SCS-267,BP-365[/spellbinders-supplies]

Other Supplies

White cardstock, pink cardstock, light blue cardstock, ink, sequins, Crystal Stickles glitter

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Hello, crafty friends. Allison Frazier here. I’m excited to be on the Spellbinders blog and YouTube channel today sharing two fun ways to use the Chompster die set from the Just Add Cake Birthday Cardmaking Kit. One card features only products from the kit, and the other features a few additional products from my Spellbinders stash. I know the kit is called “Just Add Cake,” but you’ll see that just adding cheese can be just as fun!

For my first card, I used only products available in the kit. Since the Chompster set itself has everything you need to make an adorable card, I wanted to challenge myself and find unique ways to incorporate the other die sets in the kit. Believe it or not, I actually used every die set in the kit, except for the Make It Count Sentiments. I had to sacrifice using that die set in favor of the funny sentiment from the stamp set. When it comes to Chompster, he can eat either pizza or a cupcake. Since I had already made a card with a cupcake when the kit first came out, the decision was easy. It had to be pizza!

Watch the video below or on the Spellbinders YouTube channel:

https://youtu.be/S0hd4wILxLs Using the Chompster Die Set:

• Cut the main die from Fawn ColorWheel cardstock.
• Cut the mouth and arms from Truffle ColorWheel cardstock.
• Cut the glasses and sauce from Poppy ColorWheel cardstock.
• Cut the crust from Fawn ColorWheel cardstock.
• Cut the eyes, teeth, and top layer of the hat from Classic White ColorWheel cardstock.
• Cut the cheese from Saffron ColorWheel cardstock.
• Cut the bottom layer of the hat from Rainforest ColorWheel cardstock.

Using the Confetti Pop Die Set:

• Cut the large burst of champagne shape from Saffron ColorWheel cardstock. Using scissors, cut this piece into smaller pieces to use for the drips of cheese.
• Cut the shape that creates smaller splashes from Truffle ColorWheel cardstock. Set aside the two little curved pieces to use for eyebrows.

Using the Birthday Brew Die Set:

• Cut the piece that creates the bubbles in the beer mug from Fawn ColorWheel cardstock and set aside the tiny circles that fall out of the die cut.
• Cut the same piece from Poppy ColorWheel cardstock and set aside the tiny circles.

Using the Garden Party Die Set:

• Cut the center for the largest flower from Saffron ColorWheel cardstock. Use this textured piece to then cut the berry (see below)

Using the Light the Candles Die Set:

• Cut the berry from the textured piece of Saffron cardstock that was cut from the Garden Party set (see above)

Now that all the die cuts are ready, it’s time to assemble!

• Assemble the three layers of the pizza with liquid glue.
• Assemble the two layers of the hat with liquid glue. Adhere the yellow, textured ball to the top (the textured, berry shape).
• Adhere the eyes to the back of the head with liquid glue.
• Color the Fawn eyes that fell out of the main die with a black marker and glue to the back of the eyes in order to create the pupils.
• Glue a few small strings of cheese to the upper teeth using the remnants of the shape from the Confetti Pop Die Set.
• Optional – Add thin scraps of paper around the rest of the teeth outline (to fill in where the cheese is not glued on). This gives a little distance between the teeth and the front of Chompster and also allows the teeth to sit level. I am a bit obsessive about details like this!
• Adhere the teeth to the back of the head with liquid glue.
• Adhere the mouth in back of the teeth using thin foam strips.
• Fill in the other areas in the back of the head with the thin foam strips.
• Adhere the glasses with liquid glue.
• Adhere the eyebrow shapes above the glasses with liquid glue.
• Glue the top of the small, curved hand to the back of the pizza so the hand is resting on the crust.
• Add thin foam strips to the back of the pizza and adhere to the inside of the mouth.
• Adhere the long arm to the body with liquid glue so that the hand is resting on the pizza.
• Using a Pick Up Tool, glue the tiny Fawn colored circles (from the Birthday Brew set) to several areas of the face for texture.
• Cover one of the A2 card bases from the kit with a piece of Fern Colorwheel cardstock using liquid glue.
• Stamp and cut the sentiment using the Just Add Cake stamp and die sets, using green ink. I like to die cut first and then stamp. You can watch the video to see the trick I use for doing that.
• Place Chompster onto the green card base at an angle and adhere with liquid glue.
• Add some long strings of cheese from the bottom of the mouth using liquid glue and thin pieces of foam tape.
• Adhere the sentiment to the bottom of the card with liquid glue.
• Using a Pick Up Tool, glue some of the tiny red circles around the card as embellishments.
• Last step: Do not try to take the pizza away from Chompster – he is clearly very hungry!

For my second card, I dove into my stash of Spellbinders goodies. I knew that I wanted to use the April 2026 Large Die of the Month because there are so many fun things that Chompster can eat from it. The Chompster from my first card should probably start eating some of the vegetables that are included in that Large Die kit! But, I wanted to make a sweet girl monster, and then I found a fun sentiment that led me to choosing more cheese. Using the Chompster Die Set:

• Cut the main die from Chiffon ColorWheel cardstock.
• Cut the mouth from gray cardstock.
• Cut the arms from Blush ColorWheel cardstock.
• Cut the glasses from Raven ColorWheel cardstock. Set aside the circles that pop out from the glasses.
• Cut the eyes and teeth from Classic White ColorWheel cardstock.

Using the “Market Tote” April 2026 Large Die of the Month:

• Cut the bottom part of the cheese from Beeswax ColorWheel cardstock.
• Cut the top part of the cheese from a light yellow cardstock.

Using the Halloween Wreath Add-ons set:

• Cut the top part of the bow twice from Beeswax ColorWheel cardstock and once from a light yellow cardstock.
• Cut the small center of the bow from Beeswax ColorWheel cardstock.

Using the Ribbon & Trim die set:

• Cut the smallest border from a light yellow cardstock.

Now it’s time to assemble!

• Assemble the two layers of cheese with liquid glue.
• Adhere the eyes to the back of the head with liquid glue.
• Take the black circles that popped out of the glasses and glue to the back of the eyes to create the pupils.
• Adhere the teeth to the back of the head with liquid glue.
• Adhere the mouth in back of the teeth using thin foam strips.
• Fill in the other areas in the back of the head with the thin foam strips.
• Optional: Cover the additional foam pieces with cardstock so that the back of Chompster is level.
• Adhere the glasses with liquid glue.
• Glue the top of the small, curved hand to the back of the cheese so the hand is resting on top.
• Add thin foam strips to the back of the cheese and adhere to the inside of the mouth.
• Adhere the long arm to the body with liquid glue so that the hand is resting on the cheese.
• Cut the light yellow bow along the debossed line. Do the same with one of the Beeswax bows.
• Adhere the partial bow shapes on top of the remaining Beeswax bow with liquid glue.
• Adhere the small center piece to the top of the bow.
• Stamp the sentiment from the Cozy Toes Friends stamp set to the bottom of a white A2 card base using black ink.
• Cut a sheet of patterned paper from the Rosie’s Studio Jubilee 6x6 Paper Pad and trim it to 4.25” wide.
• Adhere the patterned paper to the card base with liquid glue so that it sits above the stamped sentiment. Trim the excess off the top.
• Adhere the yellow trim piece to the bottom of the patterned paper using liquid glue.
• Adhere Chompster to the card base using liquid glue.
• Adhere the bow on top using liquid glue and foam tape.
• Warning: She may look sweet and innocent, but don’t try to take that cheese away from her!

[spellbinders-supplies]BD-1049,CS-8-148,CS-8-147,CS-8-142,CS-8-100,CS-8-116,CS-8-144,CS-8-119,CS-8-120,CS-8-103,CS-8-108,CS-8-115,S5-601,S4-1501,DOML-APR26,STP-268,168868,SCSAH-002,T-098,T-098[/spellbinders-supplies] These cards were a lot of fun to make, and I hope they bring a smile to your face. Just think about all the goodies in your Spellbinders stash that you can feed Chompster! If you would like to see more of my cards, please visit me over on my blog, Instagram, or YouTube. Thanks for joining us today!

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