cardmaking · papercrafting

Fast, Fun & Fabulous: Cardmaking with Printed Paper & Stickers

Some days, you want to craft without fuss—no fussy cutting, no intricate techniques, just pure creative fun. That’s where printed paper and stickers come in! These supplies make it easy to create layered, dimensional cards that look anything but basic. Bonus: they’re beginner-friendly and perfect for a cardmaking party!

>>>You may also be interest in my Flower Shoppe Cart Card from the same collection.

I have links to the products used at the end of this post. Each of my cards features 3-5 layers, creating rich dimension in no time. Let’s take a look!

Card 1: Lavender Rain Boots in Bloom

This sweet card features a pair of lavender chipboard rain boots, filled with flowers. The background is a vintage-look mint printed paper, layered over a lavender and white polka dot card base.

Details that make this card shine:

Card 2: Framed Florals & Soft Details

For this design, I used a chipboard galvanized bucket filled with soft pink, coral, and muted red flowers. The postage frame die cut background adds a touch of vintage charm.

🖌 Layers & Textures:

  • The background is a vintage lined school paper
  • The card base is chiffon and brown plaid printed paper
  • The layered elements make it feel warm and rustic

Card 3: A Galvanized Bucket of Blooms

This card carries over the chiffon paper and lined school paper from Card #2, tying the collection together. The chipboard enameled pitcher works well for a Get Well Card.

💖 Finishing Touches:

  • Chipboard butterflies and hearts for a sweet, dimensional effect
  • A vintage look frame that enhances the soft, romantic feel

Printed cardstock gives you instant color, pattern, and texture, while chipboard stickers add depth and detail without extra effort. These elements are substantial and high quality, making them perfect for layering without feeling flimsy.

The Magic of Printed Paper & Stickers: Products Used in This Post

Why You’ll Love These Supplies

  • Fast & Easy: No stamping or coloring required—just layer and stick!
  • Beginner-Friendly: Perfect for all skill levels.
  • Great for Scrapbooking Too! These elements work beautifully in memory keeping.

Which card is your favorite? Let me know in the comments! And if you’ve tried crafting with stickers and printed paper, I’d love to hear your tips.

Happy crafting! ✂️✨

Cardmaking Kit · stitching

A Gift Inspired Delight | Spellbinders July 2024 Stitching Die of the Month Kit

Spellbinders July 2024 Stitching Card of the Month tutorial:  a beautiful blue die cut bow for Christmas or birthday cards.

This month, Spellbinders Stitching Die of the Month Kit allows us to create a very eye-catching gift bow. The kit is perfect for creating Christmas cards and decor or you can also use it all-year-round for birthdays and other celebrations. I chose to make a birthday card as I have a lot of friends with summer birthdays.

I think bows are so eye-catching on cards and if you’d like to see another I card I created featuring a die cut bow, click HERE.

A handmade card with a beautiful stitched die cut blue gift bow for Birthday Cards and  Christmas Cards.

Stitching On-The-Go

Stitching kits are great when you want a crafting project “on-the-go”. I am on vacation in Colorado and I really loved stitching on the patio while I enjoyed the view of the mountains. I included a photo of my al fresco stitching below. I die cut my components before I left home and then packed my supplies in a zipper bag. My stitching went quickly and took about 30 minutes to complete.

Tips and Tricks for Stunning Stitched Cards:

  • I started by die cutting all my Stitching Kit pieces with my Platinum 6 die cutting machine. I used Arctic cardstock for my bow. I die cut the elements I was going to stitch 2 times and then glued them together for a substantial base.
  • Spellbinders has a nice selection of stitching accessories in their shop that you can find HERE. I used used a buttery yellow (DMC #745) today.
  • When I started stitching, I took two strands of floss, separated them one at a time, brought them together and then stroked and lengthened them until they seemed tame and ready to use.
  • I usually stitch with size 22 Tapestry needles.
  • I changed things up this month and used good ol’ Scotch tape to attach my floss to the die cut.
  • Remember to keep your floss taught as you stitch.
  • When I move from one area to the next, I run the floss through the just finished stitched area to keep the thread secure. This gives a nice look on the finished project.
  • Don’t stitch with threads that are too long or they are likely to knot. 
  • When I was done, I added a bit of Bearly Glue to the ends so that they would stay in place.
  • To make my bow a little more stable, I added one vertical and two horizontal braces (3/8″ wide) on the back of my bow.
  • To finish my project I found some old printed paper to act as my gift wrap which I glued to an A2 Top Fold Card Base.
  • I adhered my bow to the background with Bearly Glue and Foam Squares.
  • The sentiment is a Chipboard Sticker from the Serenade of Autumn set.

Helpful Links:

Spellbinders Club Info:

  • Clubs Preview on the 1st of each month.
  • Club members can cancel, upgrade or change clubs from the 1st-5th of each month. Popular Clubs frequently sell out during this period so club members get first dibs on everything.
  • NEW for 2024: Club Members get EARLY access to new releases on the 6th!
  • On the 6th, Clubs become available to non-members.
  • On the 27th, Club registration closes for the current month.
  • If a club did not sell out, you can buy under “Shop Past Clubs”. Past kits are available on the 10th of the FOLLOWING month.

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

cardmaking

Fast, Easy and Elegant Embossed Sympathy Card | Spellbinders

Creating a fast, easy elegant sympathy card with 3D Emboss and Cut folders:  Spellbinders Mushrooms From Me to You 3D Emboss and Cut folder.

Creating a handmade sympathy card is a thoughtful way to express your condolences, showing the recipient that you care enough to make something special. An embossed card is particularly elegant, yet it can be surprisingly quick and simple to create. Here’s a guide to making a beautiful embossed sympathy card that’s both fast and easy.

Timesaving Tips for Cardmakers:

I started with the new Mushrooms From Me To You 3D Emboss and Cut Folder from Spellbinders that has several great attributes:

  • The first is that the folder embosses and die cuts with just one pass through the machine. This is a real timesaver!
  • The second, is that there are 3 templates on the folder so you create 3 components each time! YAY for 3 Fers!

How I created this card:

  • Using my paper trimmer, I cut a white card panel that was 8 3/4″ x 5 3/4″. I think white on white is always lovely for a sympathy card.
  • I wanted to tape my dies to the embossing folder to ensure there would be no shifting during the die-cutting. Using my Best Tape Ever, I tacked the 3 dies to the inside front cover with the cutting edge toward the interior of the sandwich. Then I added my pre-cut paper panel. I also taped the folder closed at the bottom to ensure everything stayed in place.
  • I ran the sandwich through my machine and viola, 3 cut and embossed elements with one pass through my machine!
  • I wanted to keep the card simple so I mounted the largest embossed die cut on an A2 top folding card with Bearly Glue and Craft Foam.
  • I added a simple premade Thinking of You Chipboard sentiment and the card was done. I wish I timed the process, because it was VERY quick!

Time Saving Tip #1: Use premade sentiment Chipboard Stickers like the one I used on this card. I also love the Bayfair Chipboard and Puffy Stickers. Here is one of my posts that uses the Bayfair Chipboard sentiments on my kite card and I used the puffy stickers on this stitched card.

Time Saving Tip #2: Use premade card bases like these A2 Top Fold or A2 side fold.

TIP FOR SUCCESS: Keep it Simple – Elegance often comes from simplicity. Stick to a few well-chosen elements rather than overloading the card with decorations.

Helpful Links:

Time Saving Tips for Cardmakers with Spellbinders Mushrooms From Me to You 3D Emboss and Cut folder hndmade sympathy card

Creating a handmade embossed sympathy card is a meaningful way to show your compassion and support. With a few simple steps and materials, you can craft a card that is not only fast and easy to make but also elegant and deeply personal.

See you next time!

Karen

cardmaking · Die cutting

Fun Summery “2-Fer” Die Cut Scene Cards | Spellbinders Tunnel Scapes Collection

"2-Fer" backgrounds with Spellbinders Tunnel Scape Collection.

What better way to celebrate the summer season than by creating charming die cut scene cards? These delightful creations bring a touch of whimsy and cheer, perfect for sending a bit of sunshine to friends and loved ones. Today, I used Vicky Papaioannou’s lovely new Spellbinder’s collection called Tunnel Scapes.

Let’s dive into crafting our two designs: one featuring a kite soaring amid fluffy clouds, and another with two birds perched on blooming branches.

Tunnel Clouds Die Kit

Hnadmade die cut scene card with Spellbinders "Perched Bird" die set.  2 birds perched on branches with a happy sun shining down.

I always love a good scene card, so I was so excited to create with the Perched Birds die set. To really add interest and dimension, I set the stage with Vicky’s delightful Tunnel Clouds background dies which include three unique stacking backgrounds dies + the adorable sun and other celestial elements. This entire collection is so fun and creative! And, the die cuts have so much lovely detail. I used a bunch of my favorite cardstock colors for these two companion cards.

2-Fer Backgrounds

Handmade card with Spellbinders "Fly Away" kit die kit and Bayfair Chipboard "Oh Happy Day" Bayfair chipboard sentiment.

Another wonderful benefit of the Tunnel Clouds die set is that you get “2-Fer backgrounds” each time you die cut! I created my second scene with The Fly Away kite die set. They work great with the Tunnel Clouds dies or you can use them by themself. The die set also includes a plane that would be perfect for a masculine card. I thought the “oh happy day” chipboard sentiment was perfect for this card.

Happy Crafting!

Karen

cardmaking · Die cutting · papercrafting

Spellbinders New Serenade of Autumn | Colorful Die Cut Cards

Colorful Die Cut Autumn Cards using Spellbinders Serenade of Autumn Collection

Hello papercrafters, I am back with some lovely seasonal die-cut cards for Fall! I chose some traditional autumn colors and then added beautiful pops of blue. Spellbinders just released this fun collection called Autumn Serenade and I used the Autumn Sealed Sprigs dies along with the coordinating Chipboard Stickers and pre-printed Die Cut Shapes for my cards. I found the stickers and shapes to be real time savers when assembling my cards.

I just got back from a trip to Colorado, and I found the changing folliage was so inspirational for these projects.

Using Pre-Printed Stickers and Die Cut Shapes for Quicker DIY Cards

For my first card I used the Sprigs die kit and then added a sentiment plus heart die-cuts to finish my card. This Die Cut Shapes Kit includes 138 pre-printed pieces with lots of sentiments, botanicals, pumpkins, butterflies etc.

Seasonal Thinking of You Card with die cut leaves, Wheat and flowers.

For card #2 I used this showy Chipboard Hello Banner Sticker to complete my fall bouquet. The Chipboard set includes 27 chipboard stickers pre-printed with a variety of sentiments, gold embellishments, butterflies, birds, pumpkins, leaves and flowers. I love this little package and will be using it on future projects.

This Sealed Sprigs Collection reminds me of one of my 2022 Favorite Die Sets called Floral Reflections and you can see that Blog Post HERE.

Using Pre-printed Chipboard stickers for Quick Seasonal die cut cards.

My Process:

  • I started by selecting colors for my two cards. I used colored paper from two different sampler packs (listed below).
  • Next, I die cut my leaves and botanicals. I played around with layouts and then used the Press and Seal Method to keep my arrangement in place as I flipped it over and added foam adhessive squares to the back.
  • I knew I wanted a banner across the “crossed stems” on each card. The HELLO is a lovely chipboard sticker and the “Thinking of You” is a preprinted die cut. The gold accents add a nice bit of shine to the cards.

Products Used:

Interested in more…You can also find me at these spots too:

@karens_mini on Instagram

Pinterest: @karenabrown

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