Birthday, Thank You & Graduation Cards Using Simon Hurley Sending Hugs Dies

Hello there, Michelle Short here, and I am delighted to be back on the Spellbinders blog sharing three cards using the Simon Hurley Sending Hugs collection. This wonderful collection is perfect for lots of different occasions, and what I love the most is that the die sets (bear, dog, and cat), are completely customizable. You can create multiple characters from just one die set! Whilst there are sentiment labels in the set for the characters to jump out from behind, I decided to use other sentiments for my cards today and have the characters jumping out of apertures instead. So fun!

BIRTHDAY BEAR

My first card uses Birthday Bear Etched Dies. The bear can be made to be a standard black or brown bear, or can be made into a panda, which is what I have done today. To make this card:

• Die cut Birthday Bear Etched Dies from Classic White, Raven, Anchor, Tutu (paws), and Poppy (tongue) ColorWheel Cardstock.
• Assemble and adhere layers together using Bearly Art Glue.
• Die cut hat and present from Waterfall and Teal Topaz ColorWheel Cardstock.
• Adhere and assemble using Bearly Art Glue and adhere hat to panda’s head.

TIP: I like to use either tweezers or an embellishment tool to help place small die cuts down.

• Die cut Essential Arches Etched Die from 4.25” x 5.5” panel of Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock.
• Adhere panel of Seaside ColorWheel Cardstock to the front of an A2-sized white card base and adhere the aperture panel on top with thin foam tape, leaving a small gap free of foam tape at the bottom of the arch.
• Add thin foam tape to the back of the panda and adhere to card, sliding the bottom of the panda under the bottom of the arch.

• Adhere present on top, using Bearly Art Glue.
• Hot foil Little Smiles Betterpress Plate & Die Set onto Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock using Opaque Black Foil and the Glimmer Hot Foil System.
• Die cut out and then die cut the die another two times from white cardstock.
• Adhere ‘happy birthday’ sentiment and die cuts together (so that they are 3 layers high) and adhere to card.
• To finish, add Aquamarine AB Color Essentials Gem to the bow on the present.

DARLING DOG

My next card uses Darling Dog Etched Dies. The dog comes with different accessories that you can add to him like a collar, heart ears and an envelope that he can be holding. This set is perfect for love and Valentine’s Day, but I decided to go with a generic thank you card, pairing with the Puffy Hearts 3D Embossing Folder. To make this card:

• Die cut Darling Dog Etched Dies from Raven, Anchor, Classic White, Tutu (paws), and Poppy (tongue) ColorWheel Cardstock.
• Assemble and adhere layers together using Bearly Art Glue.

• Die cut Nesting Hearts Infinity Dies from 4.25” x 5.5” panel of Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock.
• Place panel of Seaside ColorWheel Cardstock inside Puffy Hearts 3D Embossing Folder and run it through Platinum Six.
• Adhere panel to the front of an A2-sized white card base.
• Place dog behind heart aperture and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape at the front.
• Add thin foam tape to the back of the dog and panel and adhere to card base.
• Remove tape from the front.

• Hot foil Always and Forever Sentiment Strips Press Plate & Die Set onto Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock with Opaque Black Foil using the Glimmer Hot Foil System.
• Die cut sentiment out and adhere to card so that it looks like the dog is holding it.

TIP: Experiment with your Glimmer Hot System and see how much pressure is needed to get a good, foiled impression. With some plates I need to add an extra shim and some others, I heat up the plate twice.

CONGRATS CAT

For my last project, I’m using the Congrats Cat Etched Dies. This is another completely customizable set. You can add different markings to the cat (stripes or patches) or keep it one solid colour. There are also a few accessories in the set – a cocktail glass and a mortarboard. I am using the mortarboard today for a graduation card. To make this card:

• Die cut Congrats Cat Etched Dies from Anchor, Raven, Classic White, Tutu (paws, inside ears, and nose), and Poppy (tongue) ColorWheel Cardstock.
• Assemble and adhere layers together using Bearly Art Glue.
• Die cut Mortarboard from Raven ColorWheel Cardstock for the hat itself, and Matte Metallic Gold Treasured Cardstock for the tassel.
• Assemble and adhere together using Bearly Art Glue and then adhere to the cat.

• Die cut Essentials Stars Die from 4.25” x 5.5” panel of Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock.
• Adhere panel of Seaside ColorWheel Cardstock to the front of an A2-sized white card base and adhere the aperture panel on top with thin foam tape, leaving the bottom of the star free from foam tape to add the bottom of the cat inside.
• Add thin foam tape to the back of the cat and adhere to card, sliding the bottom of the cat under the bottom of the star.

• Adhere ‘congratulations’ sentiment and die cuts together (so that they are 3 layers high) from Little Smiles Betterpress Plate & Die Set that was foiled and die cut out for the first card.
• Adhere to card using Bearly Art Glue.
• To finish, embellish with Onyx Color Essentials Gems.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing my projects today. I really enjoyed customizing the characters and creating different-shaped apertures for them to jump out from. Thank you so much for visiting today. I hope you have a wonderful day!

Other supplies

Hero Arts Nesting Hearts Infinity Dies, Thin foam tape.