For Spellbinders - Simon Hurley Up and Away

 

I'm here today to showcase another new and very cute set sent to me by Spellbinders.  It's part of the Simon Hurley The Sky's the Limit Collection.  This one is called The Up and Away Set which comes with a kite and a figure that you can customize into a boy or a girl.

I chose to create a girl for my first card.  I positioned her flying against a stenciled background with a purple and white kite.  All elements were cut from colored cardstocks.

My second card is a bit more elaborate.  I chose to make this one a boy with a cap, leaving off the whirly top section included in the set.  I added some texture to the background with cloud embossing folder and positioned the young man floating up over a house created with an extremely old Spellbinders die set.

I chose to make both cards birthday themed since my stash for children's cards is very limited at the moment.

I used a bit of white pigment ink to puff up my clouds a bit.  All elements were cut with colored cardstocks.

If you use my Spellbinders Affiliate Links to make any purchase it earns me a bit of crafting cash at no additional expense to you. TIA!

Card One

Spellbinders - Simon Hurley's Up and Away die set 

Spellbinders - Stylish Oval Birthday sentiment stamps (appears to be no longer available)

Card Two

Spellbinders - Simon Hurley's Up and Away die set

Spellbinders -  Hand Drawn Scallops embossing folder (available in a bundle)

Spellbinders - Die D Lites S2-251

Spellbinders - Diamond Plaid embossing folder

Spellbinders - Sentiments of Wonder Better Press and dies

Spellbinders - Die D Lites S2-251 (super old...the house and florals)

Fun Stampers Journey - Above the Clouds EF (really old)

Thanks again so much Spellbinders!  I always appreciate the opportunity to work with you.

I hope you enjoyed my cards today.  Your visit here is much appreciated!

Jules

For Spellbinders - Spring Plushies in Card Form

 

I am back today to share two cards I created using the Spring Plushie dies sent to me by Spellbinders.  They were designed with wool felt in mind however they also cut cardstock and designer papers fabulously.  

Up first is the card I created using the Cozy Cluck die set designed by Nichol Spohr.  Because of it's large size I opted for a 5"x7" (A7) dimension rather than my customary 4.25"x5.5" (A2) size.  I chose what I think are country styled designer papers for a folksy look.  I embossed the background with a Spellbinders folder and added some stamping from an older set made by Ellen Hutson.

My second card was created using the Carrot Companion set of dies.  This set includes dies for both an adorable bunny along with a cute carrot.  I opted to use only the bunny which I die cut from cardstock.  You can see by the photo that I chose to leave all of the little "pokie pieces" intact this time.  I added a cover plate background and some florals, both from older Spellbinder releases.  A "Somebunny Loves You" sentiment is stamped on the inside panel. I'll be sending this one to my grandson along with the plushie. 

Supplies:

Card One

Spellbinders - Cozy Cluck die set

Pink Paislee - 6x6 paper pad

Ellen Hutson - Good Egg stamp set

Spellbinders - Leafy Helix embossing folder (one of my all time favs)

Card Two

Spellbinders - Carrot Companion die set

Spellbinders - Glass Effects cover die (really old)

Spellbinders - Hop into Spring SDOTM - March 2019 (florals)

Thanks again Spellbinders for the opportunity to work with you.  And thanks to all of you who visit and take the time to comment.  Much appreciated!

Jules

Spellbinders - Spring Plushies

 

I am honored once again to have been sent some of the latest products from Spellbinders.  In this post I'm sharing two projects I created using Nichol Spohr's Felt Stitch and Create line.

Up first is my favorite of the two.  I love the color red and knew I wanted to make my Cozy Cluck chicken from a red/orange/yellow combination.  I'm really happy with how this one turned out.  She was created sans filler and will be displayed in a place of honor in my kitchen.  (I may make her a magnet, not sure yet.)

Isn't she just the sweetest thing?

I was also sent this fun duo of Felt Carrot Companion dies.  The two plushies are separate however I stitched them together to make a single hanging ornament.

My daughter-in-law keeps a small table top Christmas tree in the foyer area at 

the top of their stairs so I thought this would be a perfect Easter display.  I know 

my grandson will love it.  This one was stuffed with snipped cotton balls.

Some personal thoughts....I had a much easier time with these spring elements compared to the Christmas ones.  So much so that I now consider myself an intermediate with regards to stitching.  LOL! It helped too that I used a stiffer felt available here on Amazon.  Spellbinders also sells felt but I didn't have the correct colors on hand for these projects.  I used embroidery floss from a local box store for all of my stitching.  I used Aileen's Felt and Foam tacky glue for the pieces that weren't stitched on.  I highly recommend this stuff as my tried and true Bearly Arts did not work on this stiff felt.  (It did however work great on the Spellbinders felt I used in December.)

So?  Cute, right?  I will post some card projects using these two sets soon.  Remember, these dies are not just for plushies!

Thank you Spellbinders!  And thank you all for visiting.

Until next time, 

Jules

Spellbinders - Felt Snowy Owl and Felt Fox

I'm back with the last of my felt projects for Spellbinders.  Today I'm featuring the Forest Fox and the Snowy Owl created with the Felt Stitch and Create Collection by Nichol Spohr. 

I kept with a traditional color scheme for my fox.  

I stitched him with his head cocked to the side just for some extra cuteness.

The loop to use him as a tree ornament is hidden behind him.

I decided to create my owl in a funky color scheme, just for kicks.

For something a bit different (but extremely subtle) I arranged her wings 

opposite of Nichol's version.  I think she turned out pretty darned adorable too.

Don't critique my stitching too harshly.  I haven't done this in many years and my eyesight and dexterity are not what they used to be but once I got into the swing of things these became very addicting.  I'm hoping to make a few more before the holiday arrives.  

Thanks so much Spellbinders!  And thank you so much for visiting!

Jules  

Spellbinders - Candy Cane Felt Plushies

 

As promised I'm back with another set of felt projects for Spellbinders.  Today I'm featuring a trio of candy canes created with the Felt Stitch and Create Collection by Nichol Spohr.

Spellbinders carries their own felt collection however because I had some fancy felt in my stash I opted to use that on two of my candy canes.  (The red is metallic.  The white and green are glittered felt.  I used regular wool felt for the center candy cane.)  I purchased the cute buttons from Spellbinders several years ago and they're perfect for this project.  

If you're interested in creating any of these felt projects I highly encourage you to visit Nichol's YouTube video for tips and tricks.  

Thanks so much for visiting!!!  And thanks Yana and Spellbinders for the continues opportunity to work with you.  I'm currently finishing up two additional felt projects that I'll be sharing soon.

Jules

Spellbinders - Gingerbread Felt Plushies

 

It's almost Thanksgiving here in the states which means Christmas is just around the corner and with that comes holiday gift giving and decorating.  I was thrilled when Spellbinders contacted me about creating with some of their newest products...felt plushies created by Nichol Spohr.  

DISCLAIMER - a stitcher I am not so if I can do these, anyone can.  :-)  I do highly recommend watching Nichol's YouTube tutorials if you happen to be a newbie like me.  They are extremely helpful and I can say with assurance that practice makes perfect.  

Today I'm sharing my gingerbread boy and girl.

Aren't these just adorable?  

I used felt from several different companies, including 

Spellbinders who now carry felt in variety packs in bundles.  

It's hard to see but the boy version has white glitter felt for his hat 

and icing bands.  This set comes with teeny tiny eye dies but I found it 

easier to just stitch them on with my DMC floss.  (Based on Nichol's recommendation I used three strands from six strand skeins.)  You'll 

see I stitched the blush cheeks however I used Bearly Arts liquid glue for 

the icing bands and it seems to work really, really well.

You can see from my second photograph that I added a floss loop to the top of each plushie to make them ornaments.  I opted to use green floss so that it hides a bit better in the Christmas tree branches.  My grown daughter has already laid claim to these puppies and I'm excited that she loves them as much as I do.  

Stayed tuned for the next couple of weeks.  I will be sharing more examples of three other holiday stitched die sets.  I've never been one for stitching but must admit that it's becoming rather addicting.  

Thanks so much for stopping by!!!  A very Happy Thanksgiving to my US friends and much love to everyone.  I will see you back this weekend with a new challenge post from Seize the Birthday.

Jules

Spellbinders - Florals Through the Years - Poppy

I'm back today with two new card designs created with the new Spellbinders Florals Throughout the Years Better Press collection kindly sent to me by Yana.  My cards today feature the August Poppy.  I chose this particular one because of my love of red.

Once again, my Better Press images were created with Distress Oxides and white linen cardstock.  I cut the focal image and two coordinating mats using the Essential Modern Oval dies.  The sentiment is from the Essential Sentiments stamp set. It's sold out on the Spellbinders site but I was able to find it here.   The background was embossed with using the Leafy Helix 3D embossing folder.

This second card was created much the same way however I used the Notched Corner Frame die set and added in some finishing pearls.  You will notice that I am once again displaying this one on the DIY Easel.

Thanks so much Spellbinders!  And thank YOU for your time.  Much appreciated!

Jules

Spellbinders - Florals Through the Years - Cosmos

I'm back today with two new card designs created with the new Spellbinders Florals Throughout the Years Better Press collection kindly sent to me by Yana.  My cards today feature the October Cosmos, which happens to be my birthday month.

This easel is also a new product die from Spellbinders.  It's perfect to display both the calendar pages as well as cards.  

I'm experimenting with different backgrounds.  The angle of the "winter" sun is no longer in my favor so I have to get creative.

For both cards I used Distress Oxides and linen cardstock to create my Better Press design.  The sentiments are from the Spellbinders Essential Sentiment stamp set which appears to be out of stock.  (ooh!  I did find it here.) I die cut the tag using the Spellbinders Die of the Month from June 2019 and added some twine from my stash.  I added some gems to the first card but opted to leave the second card unadorned.

Thanks to Yana and the Spellbinders team!  It's always an honor to get to work with them and their wonderful products.  I will be back soon with my last set of cards using these fabulous new Better Press plates.

Lastly, thank YOU for stopping by!

Jules

Spellbinders - Florals Through the Years - Sweet Pea

 

Spellbinders has just released a fun new Better Press collection called Florals Throughout the Years and they were gracious enough to send me a few.  These floral plates are actually part of a calendar set appropriately named 2025 DIY Calendar Press Plates.  The complete collection allows you to create beautiful desk calendars showcasing a different floral for each month.  As you will see from my examples, the florals make stunning cards in addition to calendar pages. 

I created three cards featuring the April's Sweet Pea Better Press Plate along with additional sentiments.  

In my first two examples I utilized the floral name plate in my card design, adding in a stamped Happy Birthday to complete the sentiment.  I opted to create a sympathy/thinking of you card in my third design.

For those wondering about inks.  All of my designs were created using different shades of Distress Oxide inks onto white linen cardstock.  I love the shading I can get with multiple colors of ink.  

I used different mat shapes to set off each design just a bit differently.  I also used three different embossing folders on the front of the card bases.  In this way I have three unique cards using just one focal Better Press set.

Supplies:

Spellbinders - April Sweet Pea Better Press plate set

Spellbinders - Essential Modern Oval die set

Spellbinders - Notched Corner Frame die set

Spellbinders - Intertwined embossing folder

Spellbinders - Tiled Motif embossing folder

Spellbinders - Leafy Helix embossing folder

Ellen Hutson - You're a Treasure stamp set

I hope you enjoyed my first set of floral cards.  I will be back in a couple of days to showcase another of my favorite florals from this set.

Thanks so much for stopping by!!!  Always appreciated!

Jules

Spellbinders - Home for the Holidays Collection

 

My post today showcases three Better Press sets sent to me by Spellbinders.  The products include two background plates (reverse images) and two sentiment sets.  If you haven't tried their Better Press system I highly recommend it, especially for sentiments.  The images are so professionally crisp.  I wish you could see these in person.  

My first card combines one of the new background plates with a new holiday sentiment plate set, complete with coordinating dies, with a previously released floral die set.  While gingkos are not holiday per se, they do look really pretty when done in gold and black.  For this one the black cardstock background was pressed with Versamark clear ink and heat embossed in gold.  The result is stunning.

My second card uses the reverse plate background plate whereby the background is pressed and the fir branches remain the color of the original cardstock.  (In this case, white.)  I used a Distress Oxide ink to achieve this gorgeous background.  To it I added a sentiment from the new Sending Joy set, a second sentiment from the Color Mix Joy Registration set as well as a bird from the Out and About collection.  I really love this look of this one as well. 

 

My final card showcases the Color Mix Joy Registration set which includes the three large letters as well as several sub-sentiments.  I pressed the word, one letter at a time, onto a panel of black cardstock using a white pigment ink.  I trimmed the image down, used an embossing folder to jazz it up a bit, and centered it onto a white card base.  I added strips of red glitter cardstock and black/white diagonal striped paper and finally a sentiment from this same set.  

Supplies:

Spellbinders - Night and Day Pines (Home for the Holidays Collection)

Spellbinders - Color Mix Joy Registration Better Press plate (Home for the Holidays Collection)

Spellbinders - Sending Joy Better Press plate and die set

Spellbinders - Sealed Gingko die set

Spellbinders - Simply Perfect Florets embossing folder

MFT - black and white striped 6x6 paper pad

Honeybee Stamps - tiny gold stars

Many thanks to Spellbinders for the opportunity to showcase these fabulous new products.  I can't wait to play with them more.  

And many thanks to you for visiting.  Your time is much appreciated.

Jules

Spellbinders - My Favorite Person

 

Today I'm featuring more Spellbinders products.  These happen to be included when you purchase the Better Press system which I recently purchased for myself.  I've been really pleased with the supply options and amazingly crisp results.

Anticipating my Copic coloring, I pressed the floral plate into white cardstock using a dye ink from my stash. After coloring I added the score lines manually and then used an edge die to create a fun border.  I adhered it to a blue card base and added in some clear droplets.  I think this image would make for a beautiful sympathy card when switching out the sentiment.

Supplies:

Spellbinders - Better Press floral plate (included with machine)

Spellbinders - Small Die of the Month Club Feb 2018

If you're on the fence (like I was) I wholeheartedly recommend this new plate system.  I know I'm going to have lots of fun with this in the future.

Thanks so much for your time!!!  Much appreciated.

Jules

Spellbinders - Sympathy Cards

 

Hello again.  Last week was a busy one.  Today I'm featuring another gift from Spellbinders however it isn't from this latest release. I've been seeing these large monograms all over IG so I'm thrilled to be part of the "in" crowd.  Sympathy cards are so hard to make so I'm grateful to be able to add this one to my collection.

The extra large monogram and sentiment are Better Press plates.  I really love this system, especially for sentiments.  The results are just so crisp.  The top card was "stamped" with black pigment ink and colored in with Polychromos.  I added a strip of my favorite embossing folder and a border of black and white striped designer paper.  Card #2 was an experiment with kraft cardstock and white pigment ink.  It's certainly okay but I need to tweak this method a bit.  I trimmed it out in pink cardstock and some gold metallic spray to finish it off.

Supplies:

Spellbinders - Floral W Better Press plate

Spellbinders - Leafy Helix embossing folder

MFT Stamps - b/w striped 6x6 paper pad

Thanks so much for visiting my little corner of the blogosphere!!  Your time is much appreciated.

Jules

Spellbinders Propagation Garden --- Just a Note and Hugs

 

I'm back today with two more cards from the new Propagation Garden Collection by Annie Williams and Spellbinders.  Both cards combine both new release products with older ones from my stash.  First we'll start with this "just because" card.   

The leaves and embossing folder are part of the new release.  

The remaining products are all past releases from Spellbinders.

To create my card ...

I pressed Versamark ink onto the leaf plates and followed it with white embossing powder.  The sentiment is also a heat embossed image.  I used two dies from last fall's Notched Corner set to create the focal point grounding image.  I embossed the smaller one and opted to use the debossed side this time around.  I do believe this is going to be one of my "go-to" texture folders.  I absolutely love it!  I dug through my Spellbinders stash and found these florals dies from an older kit of the month.  The butterflies are also Spellbinders but I didn't record the name of the set.  (I think they came with a tree die????)

I'm pretty happy with the end result and love that I can combine so many older sets with new ones to get a very cohesive look.  

Supplies:

Spellbinders - Notched Corner Frame die set

Spellbinders - Essential Sentiments stamp set (out of stock)

Spellbinders - Leafy Helix embossing folder

Spellbinders - Small Die of the Month club June 2020

Spellbinders - butterflies (set unknown)

Spellbinders - Tropical Leaves Better Press plates

My next card is a bit over the top but I'm rather digging it.  I used gold embossing powder on the Tropical Leaves set along with other gold elements to create a very special "hugs" card.

After die cutting all of my elements I clustered them in the top left corner trailing down along the embossed background.  I was thrilled that I actually captured some of the shine in my photograph.

Supplies:

Spellbinders - Leafy Helix embossing folder

Spellbinders - Tropical Leaves Better Press plates

Spellbinders - Simply Perfect Mix and Match sentiment die set

Spellbinders - florals and leaves (unknown)

Thanks so much for visiting!!!  I hope you take an opportunity to check out the new products from the Spellbinders team and I will be back soon with more card examples from this wonderful company.

Jules

Spellbinders Propagation Garden --- Sympathy Card and a Birthday Tag

Hello Crafty Friends!  I am back with more new products from the Propagation Garden release designed by Annie Williams. Today's examples use a new set of Better Press plates named Tropical Leaves.  As you will see later this week, I created several cards using different color variations of this set but for today's card I kept it very simple and traditional.

I thought these leaves looked fabulous in black and white so I am using them "naked".  I combined a few of the leaves with a "new to me" stamp set and a really, really, really old artsy fartsy frame (as in more than 15 years old), both from Spellbinders.  I think simplicity is best when it comes to sympathy cards so I left this one un-embellished.  (Did I just make up a new word?)  

In my next example I used the same Better Press plates to create gold embossed tags.  All you need to do is swap out the black ink for Versamark and then use your favorite gold embossing powder.  I stamped the sentiment vertically (from the same stamp set as above) and created a wonderful birthday tag.

Supplies:

Spellbinders - Tropical Leaves Better Press plates

Spellbinders - Essential Sentiment clear stamp set (out of stock)

I hope you'll visit their website to see all of the wonderful new products they have in store for us.  Thanks so much for spending a bit of your day with me.  I'll be back later this week with more examples.

Jules

Spellbinders Propagation Garden --- Love Card

 

Hello dearest Crafty Friends!  Who doesn't love Happy Mail?  I know I sure do and am always delighted when Spellbinders shares some of their new releases with me.  Today I'm featuring a really innovative die set from their Propagation Garden release.  

My featured die today is called Propagation Garden Frames and I absolutely love it.  It's part of a whole larger collection designed by Annie Williams which includes beakers, vases, florals and sentiments.  Because I received only the "swinging" propagation station set from this release I had to be extra creative when designing my card.  

I began by die cutting my propagation station elements out of wood grained cardstock which I "grunged up" with some dye ink.  My beakers were made using an old Spellbinders holiday ornament die.  I snipped off the top of the ornament and added a hand cut neck to create flasks.  I colored in the liquid with an alcohol marker, stamped some bubbles and added the finished flask to a larger circle of vellum.  The stamped sentiment is from an older Spellbinders set which I believe is no longer available.  (I was a research lab rat in my younger days so chemistry sets always have a special place in my heart.) 

I'm pretty proud of my ingenuity if I can say so myself.  :-)

I strongly urge you to visit their site and see all of the wonderful new sets that coordinate with this really cool die.  I know I'll be purchasing at least two accompanying sets.

Supplies:

Spellbinders - Propagation Garden Frames die set

Spellbinders - holiday ornament die from old Spellbinders Christmas Card Kit

Spellbinders - Reaction stamp set (no longer available)

Avery Elle - Hello Chum stamp set (bubbles)

Thanks so much to Spellbinders!  And thank so much to you as well for spending a bit of your day with me.  I have more new Spellbinders products to share with you so I do hope you'll come back and visit later this week.  

PS - I have two posts today so feel free to meander around my blog.

Jules

Spellbinders - Envelope of Wonder Release

 

This is my third and final post featuring new dies sent to me by Spellbinders.  Today I'm showcasing the fabulous Envelope of Wonder die set.

This die set is absolutely AMAZING!  It includes the envelope die, the tag die AND  all of the dies to create the florals shown here.  My only additions to this set were the cardstock scraps and the sentiment stamp.

To create the card all I did was die cut and assemble the envelope and then stuff it full of die cut florals.  Very easy and gratifying.

Supplies:

Spellbinders - Envelope of Wonder die set

I do hope you found something in this new release that catches your attention.  A huge thanks to Spellbinders for the wonderful products!

Tomorrow I'll be back with some special posts in honor of my dear friend Lindsey.

Thank you so very much for visiting my little corner of the blogosphere!

Jules

Spellbinders - Autumn Wonder Release

 

I'm back today with a few more cards using my new dies gifted to me by Spellbinders.  These cards feature products from the Autumn Wonder release as well as a new set of frame dies.

From the Spellbinder Shop

Spellbinders - Autumn Wonder dies

Spellbinders - Notched Corner Frame dies

Spellbinders - Floral Oval die (older - couldn't find on site)

Spellbinders - Elegant Twist Circle die (older - couldn't find on site)

Spellbinders - Stack O Cups die (older - couldn't find on site)

Fun Stampers Journey - Pretty Plaid embossing folder (similar one here)

Fun Stampers Journey - Fiddle Leaf embossing folder (older - couldn't find on site)

Additional Products 

Ellen Hutson - Snailed It stamp set (sentiment)

Reverse Confetti - Mixed Messages stamp set (sentiment)

Honeybee Stamps - Hey Pumpkin stamp set (sentiment)

Ranger - Alcohol inks

Card 1 -

The caps of my mushrooms were colored with alcohol inks prior to die cutting.

The sentiment was heat embossed in white on black cardstock.

The cream notched frame was cut from woodgrain cardstock.

Card 2 -

The elements were colored with Distress Oxides and splattered with a gold spray.

The sentiment was heat embossed in gold.

Card 3 - 

The corners of the panel were inked with Distress Oxide.  (In retrospect, I should                 have reached for regular Distress ink.)

The sentiment was heat embossed in white.

I have one final card to share tomorrow featuring the fabulous Envelope of Wonder die set.

 

Thanks so much for visiting!!!  Your time is always appreciated.

Jules