Spellbinders Blog

Hi, crafty friends! Lea Lawson is popping in today with three lovely cards to share! There’s something magical about a card that feels like a little world of its own — a tiny doorway, a cheerful storefront, a cozy window scene that invites you to step inside. The brand new Everyday City Holiday collection by Yana Smakula captures that feeling beautifully, bringing the charm of her beloved City Holiday series into fresh, everyday themes you can use all year long. Whether you’re crafting a warm housewarming note, a friendly hello, or a “wish you were here” moment, these dies and press plates make it easy to build scenes that feel personal, detailed, and full of heart. I’m excited to share a trio of cards that highlight just how versatile this new collection can be — and how seamlessly it coordinates with the previously released seasonal City Holiday sets. If you’ve already fallen in love with Yana’s signature architectural style, you’ll feel right at home with these new additions. And if you’re new to the series, get ready to discover a world of mix‑and‑match possibilities. Let’s take a closer look at today’s inspiration!

A Happy Hello: Sweet Shop Awning & Soft Pastels

Up first is a cheerful, pastel, arched shape card that feels like a friendly pop‑in at your favorite friend’s house. The striped awning steals the show here,  paired with soft pinks, cool blues, and a clean white background that lets the window layers shine. The foiled sentiment, “Just popping by to say hi,” fits the scene perfectly. It’s playful, welcoming, and ideal for those any occasion cards. The Everyday City Holiday dies make it easy to build dimension with layered windows, tiny trim pieces, and architectural details that look intricate but assemble quickly. A few gems from the Color Essentials line add just the right amount of sparkle without overwhelming the design. This card is a great example of how the new collection leans into everyday themes while keeping the polished, modern aesthetic Yana is known for. It’s simple to customize, too — swap the colors, change the awning stripes, or pair it with a different sentiment for a completely new look.

Wish You Were Here: A Multi‑Window Building With Storybook Charm

The second card brings in a more detailed building façade, complete with multiple windows, flower boxes, and a sweet little pup waiting by the door. This is where the Everyday City Holiday collection really shines: the ability to build layered scenes that feel full of personality. The red awnings add a bold pop of color, while the soft blue door and greenery keep the palette balanced and inviting. The sentiment, “Wish you were here,” turns the card into a miniature postcard — perfect for long‑distance friends, family updates, or even travel‑themed scrapbooking. One of the standout features of this collection is how easily you can mix pieces from the original City Holiday release. If you already own the original die set, you’ll find that the new dies slot right in. The architectural proportions match, the layering system is familiar, and the styling is cohesive across both releases. That means more value, more versatility, and more ways to stretch your stash! This card also highlights how fun it can be to play with scale and repetition. Using multiple windows instantly creates a sense of place — a building with character, a street you want to wander down, a story waiting to unfold.

Home Is Where the Story Begins: A Clean, Modern Doorway

The third card takes a more minimal approach, focusing on a single doorway with an aqua colored awning and a classic black door. It’s crisp, modern, and perfect for housewarming cards, new‑home celebrations, or notes of encouragement. The sentiment, “Home is where the story begins,” pairs beautifully with the clean lines of the design. A small flower box adds a touch of softness, while the neutral background keeps the overall look elegant and uncluttered. This card shows how the Everyday City Holiday collection can go from whimsical to refined with just a few color changes. If you prefer a more contemporary style, this set gives you the flexibility to keep things sleek and simple while still incorporating layered die‑cut details.

Coordinating With the Seasonal City Holiday Collection

One of the biggest strengths of this release is how intentionally it was designed to coordinate with the original City Holiday collection. If you’ve crafted with Yana’s winter windows, holiday storefronts, or festive architectural pieces, you’ll immediately recognize the shared design language. Here are a few ways to combine the two collections:

• Mix seasonal and everyday awnings for year‑round storefronts &/or homes.
• Pair winter windows with everyday doors to create multi‑season buildings.
• Use holiday greenery with everyday flower boxes for transitional cards.
• Swap sentiments to turn a winter scene into a birthday, thank‑you, or hello card.
• Layer accessories from both sets to build more detailed streetscapes and neighborhoods.

The Everyday City Holiday collection isn’t just an add‑on — it expands the world Yana created, giving you more ways to tell stories through your cards! These cards are a beautiful showcase of what’s possible with the new Everyday City Holiday collection. Whether you love building detailed scenes or prefer clean, modern designs, this release gives you the tools to create cards that feel warm, personal, and full of charm. The mix‑and‑match potential with the original City Holiday collection makes it even more versatile, ensuring you’ll reach for these dies again and again. I hope today’s inspiration sparks ideas for your own crafting table! From friendly hellos to heartfelt housewarming notes, these everyday architectural pieces are ready to help you build something beautiful. Let me know what you’re excited to create with this new collection — I can’t wait to see your city come to life! I share lots of inspiration on my Instagram feed and YouTube channel - follow and subscribe to see even more inspiration with this beautiful collection. Happy crafting! [spellbinders-supplies]BP-361,S3-579,S4-1537,S7-277,S5-619,E3D-130,CSA-001,SCS-116,GLF-024,GLS-005,PE-104,SCS-167,SCSAH-002,T-098,T-042[/spellbinders-supplies]

Other supplies

Liquid glue

Read more

Hello there, Michelle Short here to share a step-by-step tutorial with you using the Everyday City Holiday Collection by Yana Smakula. This collection coordinates with the City Holiday Etched Dies, but now we can decorate the house/apartment building for all seasons, not just the holidays! My focus for the card is on the new Everyday Windows, Curtains and Flower Boxes Etched Dies, but I do sneak in an awning from the Everyday Awnings Etched Dies because they are too fun not to use! I love that all the sets can be mixed and matched with each other!

DIE-CUTTING THE ELEMENTS

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. Die cut dies from City Holiday Etched Dies:

1. Place main base of the apartment building die onto Fairy Tale ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
2. Place door die onto Lavender ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
3. Place cat die onto Raven ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.

Die cut dies from Everyday Windows, Curtains and Flower Boxes Etched Dies:

4. Place base of windows dies onto Seaside ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
5. Place curtains x2, roman blind/shade and tie backs dies onto Lavender ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
6. Place flower die onto Beeswax ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
7. Place roses die onto Chiffon ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
8. Place foliage die onto Rainforest ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.

9. 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

10. Repeat process to cut four more windows.
11. Repeat process to cut roses another three times.
12. Repeat process to cut foliage again, once from Rainforest ColorWheel Cardstock and another two times from Peridot ColorWheel Cardstock.

Die cut dies from City Holiday Etched Dies:

13. Place roof and steps dies onto Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.

Die cut dies from Everyday Windows, Curtains and Flower Boxes Etched Dies:

14. Place windowsills, flower boxes, and window frame dies onto Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
15. Place curtains x2, roman blind/shade, and tie backs dies onto Lilac ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
16. Place foliage die onto Peridot ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.

Die cut dies from Everyday Awnings Etched Dies:

17. Place base layer of large awning onto Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
18. Place top layer of awning onto Lilac ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
19. Run through die cutting machine using the same process in step 9.
20. Repeat process to cut four more window frames.
21. Repeat process to cut one more small flower box.

TIP: After die cutting, it is helpful to place die cuts into a container like the Medium Craft Stax. This keeps all the little die cuts together so that you do not accidently lose any.

ASSEMBLY OF DIE CUTS

1. Add Bearly Art Glue onto the middle section of the curtains.

2. Adhere tie backs on top.

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

3. Turn window frame over.
4. Add glue onto the top and side frames.

5. Adhere curtains to either side of frame.

6. Repeat process for another window using the other curtains.
7. Repeat process for the roman blind/shades, but for this one, only add glue at top of the frame before adhering the blind/shade on top.

8. Add thin foam squares onto the back of the curtains and blind/shade. You may need to cut the squares smaller using scissors to fit.
9. Remove backings off the foam squares.

10. Flip window frames over and adhere to base layer of windows.
11. For the window frame with the roman blind/shade, add glue on the bottom of the frame before adhering to base layer of window.

TIP: Using foam squares here is optional. It does, however, add a more realistic feel to the windows to add depth between the frame and the inside of the windows.

12. Add glue to the bottom of the frame.
13. Adhere windowsill on top.
14. Repeat process for all windows.

15. Repeat steps 1-13 for the other three windows.

16. Adhere foliage onto flower box.

17. Adhere roses on top.

18. Repeat process for the other smaller flower box.
19. Repeat process for large flower box.

20. Add glue to the bottom of the tall foliage.
21. Adhere small flower box on top.

22. Adhere flower heads on top.

23. Add Bearly Art Glue onto the back of the top layer of awning.
24. Adhere to bottom layer of awning.

ADHERE ELEMENTS TO THE HOUSE/APARTMENT BUILDING

1. Add glue onto the back of the door.
2. Adhere onto apartment building base.

3. Adhere door frame around door.
4. Adhere base layer of steps below.
5. Adhere top layer of steps.

6. Adhere bricks to apartment building base.

7. If any bricks are overlapping the sides of the base, cut off excess using scissors.

TIP: Depending on if you are right or left-handed, this is usually easier to do from the back of the panel so that you have the straight edge to line the scissors up with.

8. Adhere large window.
9. Adhere window frame around window.
10. Adhere windowsill on top.

11. Add Bearly Art Glue to the back of the windows.

12. Adhere onto apartment building base.

Note: There are debossed details on the apartment building base so that you know where to adhere the elements on top.

13. Add thin foam squares onto the back of the awning.
14. Remover backings off foam squares.

15. Adhere to top of large window.

16. Add thin foam squares onto the back of the large flower box.
17. Remove backings off foam squares.
18. Adhere to bottom of large window.

19. Add glue to four of the windowsills.
20. Adhere small flower boxes on top.

21. Add black thin foam squares onto the back of the cat.
22. Remove backings off foam squares.

23. Adhere to door/doorstep.

ADHERE TO CARD BASE

1. Create 3 9/16^th” x 5” card base from Fairy Tale ColorWheel Cardstock.
2. Add tape runner adhesive to the front.

3. Adhere apartment building panel on top.

4. Adhere roof using Bearly Art Glue.

HOT FOIL + DIE-CUT THE SENTIMENT

1. Switch on Glimmer Hot Foil System and let it heat up.
2. Cut Opaque Black Glimmer Hot Foil to size using Pro Shears.
3. Place onto piece of Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock shiny side up.

4. Place sentiment from Welcome Home Press + Foil Plate & Die Set on top, image side down.
5. Hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.

TIP: Adhering plates and foil to cardstock is optional. This is especially helpful when you want the foiling to be in exactly the right spot/straight, but in this instance, the sentiment will cut out, so it is not so important. This is the method that I use for all my foiling, but it may not work for you. Find a method that works best for you!

6. When the platform-ready light is green, place plate/foil/cardstock on top of Glimmer Hot Foil System platform, plate side down.
7. Press timer button. This will flash green on and off.

8. Once the timer button stops flashing and remains on continuous green, remove platform from base.
9. Place thin shim and spacer pad on top.

10. Run through Platinum Six Die Cutting Machine.
11. Place platform back into base.
12. Remove shims.
13. Remove plate/foil/cardstock.

14. Using the Best Ever Craft Tape as a handle, remove plate and foil from cardstock.
15. Place plate onto silicone mat to cool down.

TIP: Be careful here as the plate may be hot. Leave to cool down before touching it.

16. Place coordinating die around sentiment.
17. Hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
18. Run through Platinum Six Die Cutting Machine.

19. Die cut another of the sentiment dies from Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock.
20. Adhere behind foiled one for dimension.

21. Adhere to card on top of awning using Bearly Art Glue.

ADD DOOR HANDLE

1. To finish, adhere Prism AB Color Essential Gem to the door to act as a door handle.

This card did take me about two hours to make. That may be a long time for some people and not so long for others. It was a lot of die cutting, but I thoroughly enjoyed decorating the apartment building! There are so many possibilities for colour combinations with this set too. You can have a lot of fun with it! I created a shaped card today, but the apartment building does fit on a standard A2-sized card base as well. Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today, I hope you have a wonderful day! [spellbinders-supplies]S7-277,S4-1537,S3-579,BP-361,GLF-049,SCS-171,CS-8-135,CS-8-136,CS-8-147,CS-8-123,CS-8-115,CS-8-108,CS-8-119,CS-8-118,CS-8-148,CS-8-137,PE-104,GLS-005,T-098,T-043,T-042,SCS-123,PCGO2E,SCS-267,SCS-268,SCS-272,T-056[/spellbinders-supplies]

Read more

Hello crafters! It’s Lisa Tilson here with you today to share a card featuring the Everyday Awnings Dies from the Yana Smakula Everyday City Holiday Collection. I am going to be doing a step-by-step photo tutorial showing you how to create this pretty townhouse with its sunny striped awnings and window boxes full of flowers! The Everyday Awnings Dies and the Everyday Windows, Curtains and Flower Boxes Dies work in conjunction with the previously released City Holiday Dies from last year. The City Holiday Dies create the main part of the house, the door, and some parts of the windows. This new collection builds on last year’s release and is a great way to stretch your Holiday dies throughout the year! This card may look complicated at first glance, but I can assure you it isn’t really. It is a lot of repeated die-cutting and assembling. Other than pressing the sentiment, all you will be doing is cutting pieces of card and gluing them back together! So, let’s get started.

A Happy Hello from My House to Yours

For all 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.

Die Cutting

1. Using the City Holidays Etched Dies, die cut the main house from Waterfall ColorWheel Cardstock.
2. Die cut the house top, doorstep, and windowsill from Teal Topaz ColorWheel Cardstock.
3. Die cut the door from Blue Spruce and Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock.

TIP: it’s helpful to use a Medium Craft Stax to keep all your die cuts and dies in one place on your desk.

4. Run them through your Platinum SIX Die Cutting Machine.

5. Still using the City Holidays Etched Dies, die cut the curtains seven times from Seaside ColorWheel Cardstock.
6. Die-cut the small arched window frame six times from Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock and pop out the inner pieces using the Precision Tool from Handy Craft Tool Set.
7. Die-cut the large window frame once from Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock. You will discard the large white rectangle from this die cut and only use the white thin frame on your card.

8. Die-cut the small solid arch window die six times from Beeswax ColorWheel Cardstock.
9. Die-cut the large window frame from Beeswax ColorWheel Cardstock. You will just use the large rectangle from this die cut and discard the thin frame.

10. Take the Everyday Awnings Etched Dies and die cut the solid arch awning die three times from Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock. You will end up with six pieces, which will form the base of your awnings.
11. Die-cut the detailed arch awning die three times from Saffron ColorWheel Cardstock. You will end up with six pieces. These will be added onto the solid white layer.
12. Die cut the large awning solid die from Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock.
13. Die cut the large awning detail die from Saffron ColorWheel Cardstock.
14. Take the Everyday Windows, Curtains and Flower Boxes Etched Dies, and die cut the large window box once from Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock.
15. Die-cut the small window boxes three times from Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock. You will end up with six window boxes.
16. Die cut the foliage five times from Peridot ColorWheel Cardstock and three times from Rainforest ColorWheel Cardstock.
17. Die-cut the flowers eight times from Tuscan ColorWheel Cardstock.

Assembling The Die Cuts

1. Adhere the yellow detail awning die cuts onto the white solid awning die cuts six times.
2. Glue the large yellow awning piece to the large white solid layer.

3. Adhere the eight flower die cuts onto the eight foliage pieces.

(Note: in the photo, the die cut has been placed onto a small piece of black cardstock for you to see it better).

4. Pop small dabs of liquid glue onto the back of the two side sections of each white arched window frame and adhere the curtains. Repeat for the other five arched frames.

5. Adhere all six window frames onto their solid yellow layer using Bearly Art Glue.

6. Adhere two flower boxes to the large window box. Use two die cuts that have Peridot ColorWheel Cardstock for their foliage.

7. Take the city house die cut and adhere the door panel and the yellow rectangle onto it. There are guidelines to help you with placement for all the elements on the front of the house.

8. Adhere the white door frame around the door.
9. Adhere the two curtains to the sides of the large window section. Do not worry that they do not seem to fit the height! The awning will cover the top section!

10. Adhere the white frame around the large window.

11. Add the top of the house, large windowsill and double doorstep die cuts using liquid glue. Then pop the additional single doorstep piece onto the bottom of the double doorstep die cut. You will end up with a two layered doorstep.

12. Glue the large awning to the top of the large window frame.

13. Adhere the large window box just on top of the windowsill.

14. Glue your first arched window onto the top left of the house.

15. Adhere the arch awning on top.

16. Add a window box at the bottom. Use a window box that has Peridot ColorWheel Cardstock as its foliage for this first window.

17. Adhere the rest of the windows. The window boxes should display (left to right)
    • Peridot/Rainforest/Peridot foliage (top layer of arched windows)
    • Rainforest/Peridot/Rainforest foliage (bottom layer of arched windows)
18. For some pretty sparkle, add Silver Mix Color Essential Gems onto each flower.

Creating The Sentiment

1. Take the Welcome Home Sentiments Press + Foil Plate & Die Set and pop your sentiment onto the middle of the BetterPress Letterpress System magnetic platform.
2. Take a piece of Porcelain BetterPress Cardstock and tape it to the underside of the clear Platen using Best Ever Craft Tape.
3. Ink up the sentiment using BetterPress Black Ink.
4. Flip the Platen over and pop it back onto the magnetic platform.
5. Run the sandwich through your Platinum SIX Die Cutting Machine.

6. Die cut the sentiment using the coordinating die.

Finishing The Card

1. Add some White Foam Adhesive Squares onto the back of the sentiment and remove the backings.

2. Adhere the sentiment onto the house.

3. Glue the house onto a top folding A2 white note card created with Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock (4.25” x 11”, scored and folded at 5.5”)
4. Pop a Silver Mix Color Essential Gem onto the door to finish the card.

I hope you find this tutorial helpful. I kept a minimal colour palette for my card today, but you can really go to town and change up the colours you use along with the details of the windows, awnings, and window boxes! You can have the windows with different curtains or even blinds. You can have them in different shapes. You can also change the shape of the awnings. You have several options for flowers to add into your window boxes. There are so many ways to customise your design. I hope you have fun creating with these fabulous sets! 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 your company here on the Spellbinders blog today. I hope that you have a great day! [spellbinders-supplies]S3-579,S4-1537,BP-361,S7-277,BPI-003,BPC-002,SCS-130,SCS-267,CS-8-148,CS-8-123,CS-8-124,CS-8-125,CS-8-126,CS-8-119,CS-8-118,CS-8-115,CS-8-116,CS-8-117,T-056,T-024,T-042,T-043,T-098,PCGO2E,SCS-123,PE-104,BP-001[/spellbinders-supplies]

Read more