Spellbinders | Boo Dance Party Collection

Hello, crafty friends! I'm on the Spellbinders Blog with three adorable Halloween cards featuring the new Boo Dance Collection, complete with interactive trick-or-treaters, stamps, dies and hot foil plates!

Affiliated product links are listed below at no extra cost to you. Details on how I made each card and more photos are on the Spellbinders Blog. Thanks so much for stopping by! 

Supplies: 

Ellen Hutson | Essentials by Ellen August 19th Release IG Hop!

Today's the day! The new Essentials by Ellen Release is now available in the shop and we're celebrating with an Instagram Hop. The Design Ambassadors and our guest for this month, Jeannie Lieu, have prepared loads of inspiration for you. We're giving away two $25 gift certificates and all you need to do is hop along for your chance to win. While appreciated, comments left here do not qualify.

My card for this hop features the Starry Skies, Happy Trails and Happy Trails More Sayings stamp sets from this release. I created the frame for the scene using the Essential Arches Hot Foil Stamps on Concord & 9th's Stardust cardstock and used the Essential Arches Dies to cut out the window.

In the background, I trimmed a panel of Concord & 9th's Midnight cardstock and gold heat embossed the Starry Skies and a sentiment from Happy Trails More Sayings. Then I set those pieces aside while I stamped the other images.

I used Catherine Pooler's Green Tea and Spruce inks to ombre stamp the trees from Happy Trails. I used sponge daubers to blend the two colours for a seamless transition. I also used Cove Blue and Juniper Mist to ombre stamp the raccoon from Backyard Party. He's so cute holding that mug from Happy Trails More Sayings!

The tent, which is also from Happy Trails, was stamped with Concord & 9th's Stardust and Midnight inks. The mug from Happy Trails More Sayings was stamped with Mushroom and Ballet Slipper, and the steam was stamped with Dove ink. All of the supplies for this card can be found HERE or at the bottom of this post.

Since I didn't create blog posts for the eight reveal week cards, I'll share them here. If you already saw them on Instagram and prefer not to see them again, you can skip to the bottom for the full supply list or click on the new release badge at the top of this post to shop the new products.

My first card for Day 1 of Reveal Week featured the Through the Trees Die and Starry Skies stamp set. I love the versatile tree die that you can use singularly or doubled up to create a view of the sky from below, literally through the trees!

I created a background from Concord & 9th's Midnight cardstock and white heat embossed the tiny stars across the top and bottom of the panel, as well as one of the sentiments from Starry Skies. I also splattered white and gold paint, as well as adhered mini gold star confetti to add shimmer and shine.

To finish, I used the Through the Trees Die to cut two sets of trees from both Hero Arts Kiwi cardstock and Concord & 9th's Evergreen cardstock, layering them for a full forest effect. All of the supplies for this card can be found HERE. 

My second card for Day 1 of Reveal Week featured the Essential Stars Hot Foil Stamps and I combined it with a sentiment from the Starry Skies stamp set. I heat foiled the largest star directly on the Ballet Slipper base panel. Then I heat foiled two more stars on Evergreen and Midnight cardstock.

To create variation, texture and visual interest, I left the Grapefruit star plain but I used the A2 Piercing Plate 2 on the Stardust star and included the border left by the Essential Stars Dies. I created movement for the stars, in keeping with the sentiment by randomly placing them so the eye follows them upward.

I white heat embossed the Starry Skies sentiment directly on the heat foiled Midnight star, then adhered all of them flat save the one with the sentiment. I also added mini gold star confetti for maximum impact. All of the supplies for this card can be found HERE. 

My first card for Day 2 of Reveal Week featured the Nature Walk stamp set with coordinating dies. If you've been following me for a while, you'll know that I love pairing the Abstract Mountain Die with the A2 Piercing Plate 2 and that's exactly what I did here to create the background for the stamped images.

To create the background, I used Concord & 9th's Ballet Slipper, Grapefruit and Stardust cardstock, Hero Arts Kiwi cardstock, then Concord & 9th's Evergreen and Midnight cardstock. The Ballet Slipper, Kiwi and Midnight layers were texturized using the A2 Piercing Plate 2.

The ferns were ombre stamped using Catherine Pooler's Green Tea, Spruce and Juniper Mist inks. The mushrooms were stamped with Concord & 9th's Mushroom ink, then filled in with Ballet Slipper, Grapefruit and Stardust. The sentiment was stamped with Mushroom ink. To add a bit of sparkle, I glued teeny tiny glitter on to some of the dots on the mushrooms. All of the supplies for this card can be found HERE. 

My second card for Day 2 of Reveal Week also featured the Nature Walk stamp set with coordinating dies. This time, I used the darker colours from the colour combination used on the previous card. This time, I used Stardust, Kiwi, Evergreen and Midnight cardstock.

I die cut the Midnight panel using the Essential 4-Bar Rectangles. I also used the same die on Stardust cardstock to create the frame. I heat foiled the large Essential Stars Hot Foil Stamps directly on the Midnight panel, and also on Kiwi cardstock. Then I used the Essential Stars Dies to cut out the Evergreen border and heat foiled Kiwi star. 

I gold heat embossed both the sentiment and mushrooms, then filled in the mushrooms with Stardust, Green Tea and Evergreen inks. The base panel features a sheet of the Modern Graphics Vol. 2 paper pack, which I absolutely love. All of the supplies for this card can be found HERE. 

My first card for Day 3 of Reveal Week featured the Mondo Rhododendron stamp set with coordinating dies. Since this flower has so much detail, I wanted to keep my card simple. I used Dawn Woleslagle's watercolour stamping technique with daubers and Catherine Pooler's water-reactive inks in It's a Girl, Apricot, Green Tea and Spruce to add colour to the stamp.

Once the multi-coloured image was stamped on watercolour paper, I used a wet brush to spread the colour. I love that this technique doesn't require much skill or precision. Once the flowers were done, I used a bit of Juniper Mist ink to add a blue background around the flowers.

After using gold and white paint to create splatter and shimmer, I stamped the two-part sentiment. The scripted portion was stamped directly on the panel using Midnight ink and the second part was white heat embossed on Midnight cardstock and die cut using the Sentiment Strips Die. All of the supplies for this card can be found HERE. 

My second card for Day 3 of Reveal Week also featured the Mondo Rhododendron stamp set with coordinating dies. This time, I used the second image in the set and coloured it with Copic markers. Again, I used the same colour combo for all the other cards and you can find those Copic colours listed HERE.

I love this beautiful bird image and wanted to keep the rest of the card simple so I heat foiled one of the Essential Circles Hot Foil Stamps using Opal hot foil, then used the Essential Circles Dies to cut out the window. I stamped the sentiment directly on the white linen card base, then tucked a strip of striped paper from the Modern Graphics Vol. 2 paper pack.

It's pretty rare that I keep a card completely flat for mailing but this one didn't need any foam tape! I do love my foam tape so this surprised me but I love it when a design feels just right. All of the supplies for this card can be found HERE. 

My first card for Day 4 of Reveal Week featured the Happy Trails and Happy Trails More Sayings stamp sets with coordinating dies. I love the Star Wars stories and wanted to use this punny sentiment. The  marshmallow sticks looked like lightsabers so I created a little scene outside the heat foiled Essential Stars Hot Foil Stamps and Essential Stars Dies. 

In the window of the star, I once again used my favourite Abstract Mountain Die, cut from Concord & 9th's Ballet Slipper, Grapefruit and Stardust cardstock, then Hero Arts Kiwi and finally Concord & 9th's Evergreen. I gold heat embossed the sentiment directly on the die cut segments and love the way it looks!

The card base was cut from white linen cardstock and the top panel uses Concord & 9th's Midnight cardstock. The logs were stamped with Catherine Pooler's S'mores and Macchiato inks, and the marshmallow sticks were stamped with Macchiato. The marshmallows themselves and flame were stamped with Concord & 9th's Ballet Slipper, Grapefruit and Stardust inks. All of the supplies for this card can be found HERE. 

My second card for Day 4 of Reveal Week featured the Trippin' stamp set with coordinating dies, which was a gift with purchase during last year's Summer of Stamping. I also used a sentiment and steam accent from the Happy Trails More Sayings stamp set, and the Essential Stars Hot Foil Stamps.

The colours featured on this mini slimline include a white linen card base and oyster gray panel. The retro van was white heat embossed on Concord & 9th's Grapefruit cardstock and layered on Ballet Slipper for an extra pop of light colour.

The stars were heat foiled on Concord & 9th's Stardust, Evergreen and Midnight cardstock. I used the Essential Stars Dies to cut them out with varying borders and inserts for visual interest. All of the supplies for this card can be found HERE. 

If you were inspired by any of my cards this week, I hope you'll shop using my affiliate links. Thanks so much!!

Supplies: 

Club Sursee by Catherine Pooler Designs | August 2022

If you're a Basic Club Sursee or Deluxe Club Sursee subscriber, you're going to love the tropical vibes of the August 2022 surprise! For these two cards, I chose Tutti Frutti, Buttercream, Sea Glass, Fiesta Blue and Macchiato. I stamped the images with black ink on Neenah heavyweight before watercoloring them with the inks listed above.

I used the Hey Tweetie stamp set with coordinating dies for this first card. The large sentiment was stamped with Sea Glass and the small sentiment was stamped with Fiesta Blue. I set all the images aside to dry while I worked on the background.

Using an A2 panel of Neenah heavyweight, I used blending brushes to add Buttercream, Fiesta Blue and  Sea Glass. Then I splattered Fiesta Blue and gold paint across the background. After the panel dried, I ran it through my die cutting machine with the Head in the Clouds embossing folder.

To finish, I attached the panel to a white linen card base, popped on the images with foam tape and embellished with a few vintage shimmer pearls which match the Buttercream ink perfectly.

My second card features the Tropics Floral stamp set with coordinating dies. This set features solid images so I brought in a few extra ink colours to create an ombre effect. In addition to the colours listed above, I also used Orange Peel, Minted, Oh Boy!, Macchiato and S'mores.

First, I used the 2-3/4" round acrylic block to create a watercolored splotch on the Neenah heavyweight base panel. Then I used the 4-7/8" x 6-1/8" acrylic block to create additional splotches in Fiesta Blue and  Tutti Frutti. When the panel was dry, I splattered gold paint across the background.

To stamp the images, I used Buttercream, Orange Peel and Tutti Frutti for the flowers, Minted with Sea Glass for the large leaves and Oh Boy! plus Fiesta Blue for the stalks. I used blending brushes to create a more seamless transition between shades.

Before adhering the stamped images to the base, I stamped the sentiment with Macchiato and S'mores inks. I also cut additional shadow layers of some of the flower and leaf layers from gold glitter cardstock. To finish, I added some sequins from the Vegas, Baby! sequin mix.

Catherine Pooler is offering a bonus stamp set with coordinating dies for new Club Sursee subscribers! This offer ends at 11:59pm EST on August 14, 2022.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies for Happy Bird-Day: 

Supplies for Sending Happy Thoughts:

VIDEO | Taylored Expressions | Exclusives Release feat. Ring Around the Words + NEW Building Blocks

Taylored Expressions has a new Exclusives Release! This means there's a new batch of monthly freebies available for purchase and there are NEW coordinating products for these exclusives. My video features the Ring Around the Words dies, which were the freebie for March 2022. Also featured are the NEW Building Blocks - Ring Around sentiments.

I made three cards which feature each of the dies included in the Ring Around the Words set. I chose a set of colours and used different variations of that combo for these cards. Each card will feature either the inks, cardstock or both of the following colours: Watermelon, Pink Champagne, Rose Water, Sugar Cube, Oyster and Poppy Seed.

My first card features the Wish sentiment in Poppy Seed cardstock. I cut a panel from Oyster cardstock using the largest of the Stitched Rectangle Stacklets. Then I used the Easy Strips 1/8", Easy Strips 1/4" and Easy Strips 1/2" cut from Watermelon, Pink Champagne, Rose Water, Poppy Seed and gold glitter cardstock.

I stamped the Building Blocks - Ring Around sentiments with Poppy Seed ink on Rose Water cardstock and used the Building Blocks Die to cut them out and store them in a Simple Storage for Buildings Blocks container.

All of the layers were glued flat on the panel and the panel itself was glued flat to a Sugar Cube card base. The Building Blocks - Ring Around sentiment strip was popped on with foam strips for a bit of dimension.

This second card features a leftover die cut panel using the Rays Pierce & Cut Plate on Rose Water cardstock. When Rose Water was released, it immediately became one of my favourite colours. It works well with so many colours, including Watermelon, which the Love die is cut from. I used double-sided adhesive to attach it to the gold glitter die cut, as well as to the Rose Water panel.

This time, I stamped the Building Blocks - Ring Around sentiments with Poppy Seed ink on Sugar Cube cardstock and used the Building Blocks Die to cut them out and store them in the same Simple Storage for Buildings Blocks container.

To finish, I attached the panel to a Poppy Seed card base, popped on the Building Blocks - Ring Around sentiment strip with foam strips and added three enamel hearts. While I was making this card, I had forgotten about the Bits & Pieces - Hearts from the Like Gnome Other Kit but I've included it in the supply links below in case you're interested. Adding glossy accents to the NEW Little Bits - Wonky Hearts is another great idea!

For my third and final card, I also used another one of the exclusives, Squeeze the Day Stencil & Clear Combo, which was available in April 2022. This is one of my all-time favourite freebies because it's so beautiful! There are NEW coordinating Squeeze the Day Dies with this release so please check them out. If you have the freebie, you're going to need the dies!

I used Rose Water, Pink Champagne and Watermelon inks to stencil the lemons, turning them into the prettiest peaches. I also used Oyster and Poppy Seed to sponge the leaves. After cutting the stencilled panel down to 4.25" x 5.5", I attached it to a Sugar Cube card base.

The Hey die was cut from Pink Champagne cardstock and glued to a vellum panel cut from the largest of the Petite Scallop Circle Stacklets. I also glued two layers of the Hey die to the back of that to lift it up off the stencilled layer for a bit of dimension. I heat embossed the secondary sentiments from Building Blocks - Ring Around and added gold shadows.

I hope you enjoyed all of these ideas using the new exclusives and their coordinating products. Thanks so much for watching!

Supplies: