Spellbinders Blog

Christmas is even more magical when shared with our furry friends, and that's exactly what inspired the Christmas Cats Collection. Last summer, I adopted two orange kittens, and they've completely changed my life (and my craft room!). They "help" with every project, inspect every box that arrives, and somehow always manage to find the Christmas tree before I do. Their playful personalities inspired this collection, which celebrates all the funny, mischievous, and heartwarming moments that come with having cats during the holidays. Designed for cardmakers who love building scenes and telling stories, this collection combines playful dies, festive accessories, BetterPress sentiments, and versatile embossing folders that work beautifully together or alongside products already in your craft room.

Watch the Collection Introduction

In the video below, I'm sharing every product in the collection, the inspiration behind each design, and lots of finished card ideas to help spark your creativity.

https://youtu.be/RsfLESdIek4

Christmas Cats Dies

The Christmas Cats Etched Dies are the heart of the collection. The set includes four playful cats with layering pieces that let you customize their markings and personalities. Whether you're creating orange tabbies, tuxedo cats, gray cats, black cats, or recreating your own beloved pet, these dies make it easy to build unique feline characters.

Small details, like expressive faces, playful poses, and even a broken Christmas ornament, bring each scene to life.

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Christmas Cats Accessories Dies

The Christmas Cats Accessories Etched Dies provide everything your cats need for the holidays. Decorate your scenes with Christmas trees, Santa hats, sweaters, ornaments, bows, wrapped presents, and festive lights.

While designed to coordinate with the Christmas Cats, these accessories are also wonderful standalone embellishments for countless holiday card designs.

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Christmas Cats Window View Dies

Cats spend hours watching the world from the window, so I couldn't imagine this collection without one.

The Christmas Cats Window View Etched Dies feature an oversized arched window inspired by the windows in my own apartment, along with coordinating curtains, curtain rod, curtain tie, and a cozy cat bed. Build warm indoor holiday scenes, create views looking outside, or flip the perspective and create scenes looking into a festive home.

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Meowy Christmas Sentiments Press + Foil & Die Set

The Meowy Christmas Sentiments Press + Foil & Die Set features festive greetings in my signature handwritten style. Designed for BetterPress, the plates can also be hot foiled with the Glimmer Hot Foil System for beautiful metallic greetings. Coordinating dies make it easy to add dimension and finish your holiday cards with polished sentiments. [crafty_links items="110881:4,5" columns="1" show_sku="0" layout="div"]

Ornate Molded Frame 3D Embossing Folder

The Ornate Molded Frame 3D Embossing Folder was inspired by one of my most-loved previous designs - Molded Frame.

It features an elegant decorative frame surrounding an open center, making it perfect for showcasing focal images, sentiments, or scene-building designs. The embossed detail adds beautiful texture while naturally drawing the eye toward the center of your card.

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Herringbone Décor 3D Embossing Folder

Inspired by the beautiful herringbone flooring in my apartment, the Herringbone Décor 3D Embossing Folder creates a timeless textured background for holiday and everyday projects alike.

Within this collection, it serves as the perfect floor for cozy indoor Christmas scenes featuring your playful cats, but its classic design makes it a staple you'll reach for throughout the year.

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Designed for Cat Lovers

Every product in this collection was inspired by real moments with my own cats - the ornaments they can't resist, the Christmas tree they somehow always manage to climb, the presents they claim as their own, and the quiet moments spent watching the world through the window. Whether you're creating cards for fellow cat lovers or simply celebrating your own furry companion, I hope this collection brings joy, laughter, and plenty of holiday inspiration to your craft room. Thank you so much for joining me to celebrate the release of Yana's Christmas Cats. I can't wait to see the festive scenes and playful personalities you create with these products. Happy crafting!

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Hello there, Michelle Short here to share a step-by-step tutorial with you using the new Spectacular Santa Etched Dies. This wonderful die creates a large-sized Santa that can take centre stage on a card. I kept to a traditional colour palette today for Santa, adding in a little pink for the background, but you can definitely experiment with different colour combinations!

DIE CUTTING SANTA

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 Spectacular Santa Etched Dies from cardstock. Cut cardstock to be slightly larger than the size of the dies:

1. Place Santa’s body and hat dies onto Pomegranate ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
2. Place the trim and beard dies onto Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
3. Place the belt and back of eyes dies onto Raven ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
4. Place the sack die onto Fawn ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
5. Place the mouth die onto Poppy ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
6. Place Santa’s face die onto Alabaster ColorWheel 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.

7. 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

8. Repeat the process to cut:

• The gloves from Raven ColorWheel Cardstock.
• The nose and cheeks from Chiffon ColorWheel Cardstock.
• The bell and buckle from Brushed Metallic Gold Treasured Cardstock.

ASSEMBLING SANTA

1. Flip over the body of Santa, as well as the sack. Overlap the sack at the back of Santa’s body and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.

2. Flip over both and, holding them apart slightly, apply Bearly Art Glue in between. Press and hold in place.
3. Repeat the process to glue the handle down.

4. Apply glue to the back of the gloves.
5. Adhere in place.

The body of Santa has indentation lines on it, so you know where everything needs to be placed.

6. Adhere trim.

7. Adhere belt.

8. Add small dabs of glue onto back of buckle.
9. Adhere on top of belt.

TIP: If you get too much glue on the back of small die cuts, dab off excess onto scrap paper.

10. Flip face over and add Bearly Art Glue to the back of the die-cut around the eyes.
11. Adhere black die cut on top.
12. Flip face back over to the front.

13. Add small dabs of glue to the cheek areas. Adhere cheeks on top.
14. Add small dabs of glue to the eyebrow areas. Adhere eyebrows on top.

TIP: Using tweezers or a Pick Up Tool is really helpful when adhering small die cuts. I switch between the two as to what feels comfortable for which die cut.

15. Add glue around the sides and bottom of the face.
16. Adhere beard on top.

17. Add glue to the top of the mouth die cut.
18. Adhere moustache on top.

19. Adhere to face.
20. Adhere nose on top.

21. Adhere hat to the top of the face.
22. Flip over and add Best Ever Craft Tape to the back.

TIP: Adding tape to the back of die cuts not only helps to keep the die cuts in place while the glue dries, it also gives some stability to them when there is only a small area of overlap.

23. Adhere trim and bobble to hat.

24. Adhere lip to the bell.

STAMPING THE SENTIMENT

1. Place piece of Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock inside Mini MISTI.
2. Place sentiment from Spectacular Holiday Sentiments Stamp & Die Set on top, impression side down.
3. Close door of MISTI to pick up the stamp.

4. Ink up stamp using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink.

5. Close door of MISTI to transfer ink onto cardstock.
6. Remove cardstock from MISTI and let it sit to dry for a few minutes.

7. Place coordinating die over the sentiment, cut side down, and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
8. Run through Platinum SIX Die Cutting Machine.

9. Die-cut the die two more times from the same cardstock.
10. Adhere the two white layers one on top of the other, using Bearly Art Glue.
11. Adhere the stamped one on top.

CARD ASSEMBLY

1. Adhere panel of Chiffon ColorWheel Cardstock onto 4” x 5.5” white card base using tape runner adhesive.

2. Add foam squares onto the back of Santa’s body.
3. Remove backings from foam squares.

4. Adhere to card.

5. Add foam squares to the top of Santa’s head and remove backings.
6. Apply glue to the bottom of Santa’s head (behind the beard part).
7. Adhere to card overlapping beard with top of body.

8. Flip bell over. Add a small foam square to the top part of the bell.
9. Apply glue to the handle.
10. Adhere to hand.

11. Apply glue on the back of the sentiment.
12. Adhere sentiment to the card.

13. To finish, embellish with Pink Color Essentials Gems.

Isn’t Santa just the cutest? I love that he is large in size, so he can take centre stage on the card. I made the card 4” wide instead of the usual 4.25”, so that I could have the hand hanging off the edge slightly but still fit in a standard A2 envelope. Thank you so much for stopping by today. I hope you have a wonderful day! [spellbinders-supplies]S5-723,SDS-231,SCS-142,CS-8-101,CS-8-148,CS-8-147,CS-8-142,CS-8-100,CS-8-141,CS-8-108,SCSP-001,PE-104,T-098,T-043,SCS-123,SCS-241,SCS-272,SCS-267,PCGO2E,MINIMISTI[/spellbinders-supplies]

Other Supplies

Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink

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Hey there, friends! It's Marie here again from Marie Nicole Designs. I have a few cards to share with you featuring the Spectacular Collection from Spellbinder. This collection is so cute! There are several characters available for you to piece together, accessorize, and add to cards, tags, or gifts with a fun Christmas theme. I’m going to feature the Spectacular Bear for the first card, but I want to give you a few background ideas for some of the Bear’s friends, as well. Let’s get started!

CUT AND ASSEMBLE CHARACTER PIECES

Cut all the pieces for the Bear character. The pieces are laid out in this photo next to the items they create. The bear has its head, and then its body and belly piece.

The body and belly will also be used for the other characters in this collection!

Then, there are accessories. There is a scarf, hat, glasses, and cupcake/fruit cake you can choose to use.

CUT OUT YOUR BACKGROUND PANEL

Using the Playful Stitched Panels dies, cut out a white background to add the bear to.

COLOR THE BACKGROUND

Using a trio of greens, ink blend an ombre background. I used Pine Needles on the bottom, then blended with Cracked Pistachio, and finally blended with Twisted Citron.

ASSEMBLE YOUR CARD

Using some foam adhesive, add the white front panel to your background. Then, using some MORE foam adhesive, add your bear to the front panel. Use one of the many fun sentiments from the Spectacular Holiday Sentiments set, give the bear a holiday cake to hold, and you have finished the card!

BONUS CARDS

This set was just too fun, so I created two more cards to share. First, the penguin. The pieces for the penguin include her head and accessories. You will need the bear in order to add the bottom body portion if you want. I made a colorful background for the penguin by taping off and ink blending some slanted stripes on a panel I again cut out using the Playful Stitched Panels Edges dies. Such great layering dies!

POLKA DOTS

One last easy background idea for you! I used some ink blending tools to smoosh polka dots onto my background. The colors I used here are Cracked Pistachio and Saltwater Taffy. Then, I added the Deer to this card. The Deer is so cute! Again, the deer set includes the head and accessories, and if you want the bottom body portion, that is included in the Bear set. These festive critters are so much fun to assemble onto cards! I love that all the sets work together and you can mix and match the accessories. Also, the sentiment set has sentiments that work with all the critters. Thanks for stopping by! Until next time, Marie Nicole [spellbinders-supplies]S3-564,S3-565,S5-722,SDS-231,S5-747,PE-104,SCS-123[/spellbinders-supplies]

Other supplies

Ink blending tools, Distress ink oxides, cardstock, foam adhesive, liquid adhesive, black ink, stamping platform, christmas confetti,

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