How to Make a Lunar New Year Card | Step-by-Step Tutorial with the Good Fortune Horse Dies

Hello there, Michelle Short here to share a step-by-step tutorial using Good Fortune Horse. This set celebrates the 2026 Lunar New Year of the Horse. The stamp and die set includes dies to create a horse, plus four sentiment stamps. I created a card for Lunar New Year, but the horse could be used all year round for any occasion.

DIE CUTTING THE HORSE

1. Place the main body of the horse, as well as the legs and ear die, onto a piece of Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
2. Place the mane dies, tail dies, hooves die, and saddle dies onto a piece of Matte Metallic Gold Treasured Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.

TIP: Holding dies down with tape prevents them from shifting when going through the die cutting machine. Use a low-tack tape like Best Ever Craft Tape so that it removes easily from the cardstock.

3. Create your die cutting plate sandwich – (bottom to top) A Platform Base, B Platform Top, C Cutting Plate, cardstock pieces with dies on top (dies facing down), C Cutting Plate.
4. Run through Platinum SIX Die Cutting Machine.
5. Remove dies from cardstock and pop out die cuts.
6. Repeat process to cut another set of hooves, as well as the base layer of the saddle.

ASSEMBLE THE HORSE

1. Add Bearly Art Glue to the top of the back legs.
2. Adhere main body of the horse on top (there are indentation lines on the die-cut to know where to place it).

3. Add Bearly Art Glue to the top of the other leg.
4. Adhere body of the horse on top.

5. Add Bearly Art Glue to the top of the hooves.
6. Adhere behind the bottom of the legs with just the tip showing at the bottom.

TIP: Use tweezers to help pick up and place down the die-cuts.

7. Add Bearly Art Glue to the tops of the tail pieces.
8. Adhere behind the back of the horse.

9. Add small dabs of glue to the mane pieces.
10. Adhere behind the side of the horse.

11. Add glue onto the back of the decorated saddle piece.
12. Adhere onto base of saddle.
13. Adhere onto horse.

STAMP SENTIMENT + CREATE CARD BASE

1. Cut Poppy ColorWheel Cardstock into 5.5” x 4.25” panel.
2. Place inside Mini MISTI.
3. Take sentiment stamp and place on top.
4. Close Mini MISTI door to pick up the stamp.
5. Apply anti-static powder over the stamping area.
6. Ink up stamp using Versamark Ink and close MISTI door to transfer ink onto the cardstock.

7. Apply Gold Embossing Powder and tap off excess.
8. Heat embossing powder using a heat tool until melted.
9. Set aside to cool for a few minutes and then remove anti-static powder with a cloth.

TIP: If you get any embossing powder where you do not want it, remove it prior to heating with a dry brush. Make sure to pre-heat heat tool before heat embossing. Keep heat tool moving so that you do not overheat the powder. When overheated, the powder will turn grainy.

10. Using a Blending Brush, blend Cherry Core Ink around the edges of the panel.
11. Add a further layer of Cranberry Core Ink, focusing this on the very edges and corners of the panel to darken it up even more.

TIP: Whilst difficult to see in the photos, adding the ink blending around the edges really does make a big difference. It will draw your eye into the focal point.

12. Remove any excess ink from the sentiment using a dry cloth.
13. Adhere panel to an A2 sized card base made from Poppy ColorWheel Cardstock.

ADHERE HORSE + EMBELLISH

1. Add foam squares onto the back of the horse, cutting them down with scissors as required.
2. Remove backings off foam tape.
3. Adhere horse to card.

TIP: Don’t want to have to fuss with cutting down foam tape but still want dimension? You could cut multiple layers of the body of the horse and adhere them to the back of the assembled one.

4. Embellish with Gold Color Essentials Gems.

I kept the colours traditional for this card in terms of Lunar New Year, but you can definitely change them to suit your needs. Thank you so much for stopping by today. I hope you have a wonderful day!

Other Supplies

Hero Arts Gold Embossing Powder, Hero Arts Cherry Core Ink, Hero Arts Cranberry Core Ink, Anti-static powder tool, heat tool.