Spellbinders Blog

Hi everyone! My name is Melissa Phillips, from @lilybeanmom. I’m delighted to join you today with a card tutorial using the new Whimsical Village by Vicky Papaioannou. This collection contains everything you’ll need to create fresh, joyful, and playful projects!  You will love all of the delightful possibilities. Everything about the Whimsical Village Collection is sure to make you smile, just as it did for me.  From the tiny, cute, and quirky houses with personality, each one complete with coordinating dies for the roof, windows, and doors, to the joyful whimsical flowers that tower over the houses, each image is pure delight!  Whether you choose to combine both flowers and houses, or create using just one of the two elements, your completed creations will bring a smile to the recipient’s face. Begin with a block of white cardstock.  Cut an A2-size rectangle using the Playful Panels Etched Stitched Dies.  I’ve used the largest of the rectangles to cut my beginning step. Using the Whimsical Skies Embossing Folder, run your rectangle through your Platinum SIX Machine with 6” Universal Plate System, following the embossing sandwich, and create a fun, textural background from which to build your card. Using Large Blending Brushes, apply to your embossed rectangle.  Add aqua ink to the upper portion of your rectangle to resemble the sky.  I used bright yellow ink in the center of my rectangle to mimic the sunshine, and lastly, green at the bottom to resemble grass. Now comes the fun die-cut flowers with pops of happy colors!  Using the Whimsical Blooms Dies (S5-456), cut flowers from white cardstock using your die-cutting machine. You’ll then use the Whimsical Houses Dies to cut your selected house.  There are several different shapes and sizes to choose from.  Cut the coordinating roof, windows, and choice of door as well. Repeat cutting shapes using the same process as above, this time using the Village Companions Dies.  You’ll find the sun, moon, clouds, and tiny companions in this coordinating die set. Now it’s time to put your card together!  Using Large Blending Brushes once again, add color to each die-cut shape using your choice of color and ink.  Add your completed flowers to the left side of your card, beginning with the stem and finishing with the happy bloom on top. After adding color to your choice of whimsical houses, assemble each element to complete your house and add to your card, just below the flower and down to the right. Now it’s time to add ink-blended sun, and puffy white clouds.  I placed mine to the upper right of my house.  Using dimensional adhesive, such as White Foam Adhesive Squares, will make these shapes pop off the background. Adhere your completed card front to an A2-size card base.  Using the Whimsical Wishes stamp set, stamp your choice of sentiments on a die-cut banner and adhere it in the upper right corner, using a threaded button as an accent. To finish your card, add yellow sequins and Crystal Stickles glitter on the leaves, flowers, sunshine, and clouds, to bring in a bit of shimmer and shine. Our card is now complete and completely irresistible!  Just add your favorite colors of ink and you’ll find that everything you need is right at your fingertips, and you combine the Whimsical Village elements into one playful and joyful card. [spellbinders-supplies]PE-104,S5-747,E3D-166,T-060,S5-456,SCS-267,STP-270[/spellbinders-supplies]

Other Supplies

White cardstock, pink cardstock, ink, sequins, Crystal Stickles glitter, button, thread Thank you so much for joining me today.  Fill your cart full of the inspiring, new  Whimsical Wishes Collection and other Spellbinders products and create something full of life and personality.  I hope you enjoy every minute of creating. Melissa

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Hello friends! Nichol Spohr is here  with a couple of birthday cards featuring the incredible Just Add Cake Box. If you’re like me, birthday cards are something that I always need a lot of and something I always like to have on hand! I love that with the Just Add Cake box you can mix and match to create incredible celebration cards whether you use just the kit or mix and match with your favorite Spellbinders products you have in your craft stash. Today I’m featuring the Light the Candles die set from the box for a couple of cupcake themed designs. First, we are going to showcase the components from the box for a 5” x 7” quadrant-style cupcake card and then we’re going to grab some favorite Spellbinders basics for an arch-shaped cupcake card. Let’s get started!

Watch the video below or on the Spellbinders YouTube channel:

https://youtu.be/_asvpUTXug0 A quadrant-style card is one of my favorites as it gives such a balanced look, especially when using repeating design elements, like the cupcakes! I wanted the background of my card to have some texture so I used the Confetti Drop 3D Embossing Folder from the Just Add Cake box, added some Lime Zest splatter, and then used the Light the Candles and Chompster (cupcake and candle) dies to build each quadrant of my design. Small touches like the additional small cupcake and florals/greenery around the base of a couple of the cupcakes soften the quadrant effect while inviting interest to the overall design. Greetings from the Just Add Cake Stamps and dies grouped together is the perfect finishing touch. Simple shaped cards are always a favorite of mine. The subtle interest and matching the card shape to the die elevates any design. love to use some of the larger dies from any of the nesting die sets from spellbinders for shaped cards. I used the Essential Arches and Color Block Accent Arches to create the base of my card and then filled the arched shape with the Light the Candles die cut images. I love using the Glimmer with some of Spellbinders sentiment dies and the Make It Count Sentiments from the box look amazing glimmered. I paired the glimmered greeting with a stamped and die cut sentiment from the Just Add Cake Stamp Set to round out the card. [spellbinders-supplies]BD-1049,S5-743,S5-526,GLS-005,T-050,PE-115,T-098,GLF-010,CS-8-100,CS-8-103,CS-8-106,CS-8-108,CS-8-109,CS-8-110,CS-8-115,CS-8-116,CS-8-123,CS-8-124,CS-8-125,CS-8-136,CS-8-142,CS-8-144,CS-8-118,CS-8-119,SCS-334,SCS-267,AF249,AF427[/spellbinders-supplies] Thank you so much for joining me today for some cupcake-themed birthday card ideas using the Just Add Cake box. Remember to think outside the box and use these dies for other celebrations and seasons, too! Happy creating!

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Hello crafters! It’s Lisa Tilson here with you today to share a card using the Whimsical Village Collection by Vicky Papaioannou. I am going to be doing a step-by-step photo tutorial showing you how to create this simple scene using the Whimsical Houses Etched Dies, the Village Companions Etched Dies and the Whimsical Wishes Clear Stamp Set. Also included in this collection is a super fun floral die set called Whimsical Blooms which you can use in conjunction with the houses or on its own. There is also a 3D embossing folder which creates a beautiful swirly design for your projects. This new collection is full of whimsy and quirkiness, and you’ll enjoy creating with these playful sets.

So, let’s get started with my card for today.

No Place Like Home

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 edge down.

Die Cutting

In this photo, the dies have been turned cutting edge side up so that you can easily see which die relates to which cardstock. When die cutting, you will need to flip the dies over, so the cutting side is directly in contact with the cardstock.

1. Take the Whimsical Houses Etched Dies and die cut the two houses using Blush and Bellini ColorWheel Cardstock.
2. Die cut the roof and door for each house using Coral and Tutu ColorWheel Cardstock.
3. Die cut the windows and fence from Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock. The fence will need to be die cut twice.

4. Flip the dies over and tape them in place on your cardstock using small pieces of Best Ever Craft Tape.

NOTE: try to keep an even space between the outline die and the solid house die.

5. Place the dies onto your cutting plate and then run them through the Platinum SIX Die Cutting Machine using the sandwich at the top of this post.

6. Take the Village Companions Etched Dies and die cut the dog from Anchor as well as from Raven ColorWheel Cardstock. The resulting tiny black die cut will just be used for the nose!
7. Die cut the cat from Fog ColorWheel Cardstock.
8. Die cut the clouds from Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock. These will need to be die cut twice. You won’t use all the clouds, but you will use two of the smallest one.
9. Die cut the sun from Beeswax and Saffron ColorWheel Cardstock.
10. Run the dies through your die cutting machine.

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

11. Take the Linear Touch Rectangles and Tag Etched Dies and die cut the largest linear die from Seaside ColorWheel Cardstock.
12. Die cut the largest rectangle die from Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock.

Assembling The Die Cuts

1. Using Bearly Art Glue and Tweezers, adhere the Tutu door onto the Blush house and the Coral door onto the Bellini

2. Using small dabs of liquid glue, adhere two small pieces of Spellbinders Vellum to the back of the window openings on both houses. Add glue sparingly around the openings. You don’t want it seeping onto the vellum.

3. Cut off any excess vellum from the sides of the houses using 4” Detail Scissors.
4. Add small dabs of liquid glue onto the backs of the window frames. Dab off any excess glue so that it doesn’t seep onto the vellum when you add them into the window openings.

5. Pop all the windows in place.

6. Add a small amount of liquid glue around the top of each house and adhere each roof.

7. Add liquid glue to the Beeswax sun die cut and adhere the Saffron sun die cut on top.

8. Adhere the centre of the sun.

NOTE: To help you with placement of the dogs nose, see the pre-assembled dog on the left-hand side of the photo.

9. This is the trickiest part of assembling your die cuts. Add a small dab of glue onto the back of the dog’s nose area and then, using a pick-up tool, place the small black nose die cut onto the dog. You will probably need to wiggle the die cut into place, and you will only see a tiny fraction of it when you turn the dog over and look at it. There is only one way that it lines up behind the snout area. It might take a few attempts!

Assembling The Card

1. Temporarily tape the pink house to your white rectangle panel and then adhere the Coral house to the right-hand side of it. Avoid putting any glue onto the vellum that can be seen from the front.

2. Add glue behind the pink house. Again, make sure to avoid getting any glue near the vellum which will be visible from the front.

3. Place the pink house down. The roof just slightly overhangs the Coral house, but only by a tiny fraction.

4. Adhere the two fences either side of the houses. Slot them just under the sides of your houses.

5. Place a small White Foam Adhesive Square onto the back of the sun and adhere it just above the pink house.

6. Adhere the three clouds using liquid glue. A small cloud is placed behind the sun on the left-hand side as well as one just to the left of the pink roof edge. The medium-sized cloud is placed over to the right side of your white panel.

7. Flip your panel over and then cut off the overhanging cloud using 9” Pro Shears.

Creating and Adding Your Sentiment

1. Pop a piece of Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock into your MISTI/stamping tool.
2. Take the Whimsical Wishes Clear Stamp Set and place the “no place like home” stamp onto your white panel.
3. Pick up the stamp using the MISTI

4. Ink up the stamp using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink.

5. Bring the MISTI door back over and press the stamp down onto your cardstock. Repeat if necessary.

6. Trim the sentiment to size using a Guillotine Paper Trimmer.

7. Add small White Foam Adhesive Squares onto the back of your sentiment and add some dabs of liquid glue on top of them.

TIP: Adding liquid glue to the foam squares will enable you to wiggle the sentiment in place more easily should you not get it quite right first time!

8. Adhere your sentiment in place.

Finishing the Card

1. Put small pieces of foam square onto the back of the dog and cat.

2. Pop them in place so they are sitting on the top edge of the sentiment.

3. Add liquid glue onto the back of your white panel and adhere it onto the Seaside

4. Add glue onto the back of your Seaside panel and adhere it onto an A2 side folding white note card created from Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock. (8.5” x 5.5”, scored and folded at 4.25”)

5. For the door handles, add a small Spectrum AB Color Essential Gem onto the area indicated on the door of each house.

I hope you find today’s tutorial helpful. There are lots of ways you can create scenes with this collection, as there are four different house designs, some quirky flowers which can be positioned around the houses or even used on their own for a floral card. You can also create a night-time scene and include a moon instead of a sun. Whatever you decide, I hope you have fun! 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 joining me here on the Spellbinders blog today. I hope that you have a wonderful day! [spellbinders-supplies]S2-456,S5-746,STP-270,S5-721,SCS-267,SCS-151,SCS-167,CS-8-148,CS-8-110,CS-8-109,CS-8-146,CS-8-104,CS-8-103,CS-8-147,CS-8-115,CS-8-116,CS-8-145,CS-8-123,T-056,T-066,T-024,T-042,T-043,T-098,PCGO2E,SCS-123,PE-104,MISTI[/spellbinders-supplies]

Other Supplies

Memento Tuxedo Black Ink

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