Spellbinders La Dolce Vita + Coloring Die Cuts with Alcohol Markers!

Hi friends!

Spellbinders has just released some amazing new products and I've had the joy to be playing with some of them! There are several new collections and you'll find all of them at 

June 2025 New Arrivals at Spellbinders

The products used in this post come from La Dolce Vita collection, a stunning collection with summer vacation and sea breeze feel! The products used here are only a small part of the collection, so make sure to check out all of the fun dies, embossing folder and press plates in Spellbinders store. 

Card 1 and 2:

Copic Coloring Die Cuts

One of my favorite ways to add my personal touch to die cuts is to use alcohol markers for coloring them in. Here I've used both Copics and Altenew markers. The stunning lady from Amalfi Breeze Edged Dies is perfect for this technique: the individual parts of the die are not too tiny to color and also there are beautiful curves you can accencuate with shading the curves darker (like the swimsuit for example). 

You can also create nice, lively looking skin with markers. I made my ladies similar color to myself (I call my color frozen turkey lol!) and used a blend of E04, E13, E11, E21, E00, R20. I varied the blend here and there to make the skin look even more realistic. I think the lady in the yellow swimsuit has burned a little bit in the sun! That easily happens to us turkey skin ladies lol! 

Card 3 and 4:

Highlighting products with clean and simple cards

Sometimes it's nice to make fairly simple cards with fun techniques. One of my favorite techniques for making simple cards is to use 3d embossing folders! 

Here I've played with the new Lemon Fresco 3d Embossing Folder both as a backround for the lemon dies of Citrus Spritz Edged Dies and as a focal point of the blue card. 

In the lemon card a basic white on white 3d embossed look is just so classic and stunning... And in the blue card I've played with some masking and white pigment ink. 

Let me know if you'd want to see a video of how I made the blue card, I'd be happy to recreate this look! It makes me think of mediterranean tiles! 

All Spellbinder Products used in the cards of this post:

Amalfi Breeze Edged Dies

La Dolce Vita Banners Edged Dies

Bamboo Screen 3d Ebossing Folder

A-2 Matting Basics Card Creator Edged Dies

Lemon Fresco 3d Embossing Folder 

Citrus Spritz Edged Dies

I've Got You Covered Sentiment Stamps

Thank you for popping by! I look forward hearing which card is your favorite! For more product details, do head on over to Spellbinders Paper Arts using the links above. 

*The product links in this post are affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for visiting my blog and happy crafting!* 

New Release at Spellbinders + Ink Blending Die Cuts!

Hi friends!

Spellbinders has just released some amazing new products and I've had the joy to be playing with some of them! There are several new collections and you'll find all of them at 

June 2025 New Arrivals at Spellbinders

The products used in this post come from Cheerful Chirps Collection , a fun collection of bird dies, embossing folder, sentiment stamps and sequins with a slight tropical feel! I wanted to show you two different colorways for this fun birdie... And the question is, which bird friend do you like better!?! 

I've used various inks from my stash to ink the birds that I've cut from white card stock to start with. Choosing white card and blending ink on the white die cuts gives your die cuts a slightly softer look than using colored card stock for die cutting. 

If you want to have a very artsy, soft and blended look, leave your die cut edges white like I did with my blue bird and the green flowers. 

There's a fun video on ink blending die cuts HERE by Joy Baldwin using Spellbinders die cuts. If you are new to ink blending, check out that video! 

Products used from the new collection:

Flying High Edged Dies

Bamboo Screen 3d Ebossing Folder

Spread Your Wings Sentiment Stamps

Older Spellbinders essentials in these cards:

Essential Arches Edged Die

I've Got You Covered Sentiment Stamps

Rosie's Studio Golden Afternoon 6 x 6 Paper Pack

Thank you for popping by! I look forward hearing which bird is your favorite! For more product details, do head on over to Spellbinders Paper Arts using the links above. 

*The product links in this post are affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for visiting my blog and happy crafting!* 

 

June Challenge at Stay Crafty With a Blog Named Hero!

Hello, friends!

I'm here with my DT card for the June challenge at Stay Crafty With a Blog Named Hero: 

Saturday in the Park

Create a Picnic or 4th of July themed card

I new exactly which Hero Arts stamp set to use for my card... I played with Picnic Basket Bundle stamps and dies. I colored my die cut stamped images with Copics and made a simple CAS card with the images. In the background I used the Daisy Mosaic Stencil with some simple masking and inking for CAS "sky and grass". Popping your center panel up with foam is a good CAS hack and is done with using Rectangle Infinity Dies. 

I hope to see you joining us! Play along and you could wih a $50 gift card to Hero Arts! 

I'd like to join:

Stamping Sensations: Anything Goes

Allsorts Challenge: Anything Goes

I Spy With My Little Eye.. : At least one butterfly

 

Reminder for May Challenge at Stay Crafty With a Blog Named Hero!

Hello friends!

If you haven'tjoined the May Stay Crafty With a Blog Named Hero Challenge yet, you'd better do it fast! :) The challenge is still running for about one day. Our theme is a very fun one, "Can't Take my Eyes off You", create a project with eyes. My first DT project was with butterflies and I could not restrain myself... This one has butterflies too lol! I read somewhere that some butterflies have extra set of eyes in their wings. That's quite something!! 

I've used the following Hero Arts products: 

Special Day Butterfly Stamp and Cut from the Spring Whimsy Collection (butterflies)

It's Our Anniversary Stamp and Cut (sentiment) 

Swirls Confetti die (background)

Nesting Circle Infinity Dies (die cut circle for the sentiment)

I've colored the butterflies with Copics and added white gel pen details. The sentiment is heat embossed. The die cut background I've cut from white card and attached it on top of another piece of white card -one of my favorite ways to use background dies. 

I hope to see you joining us -doesn't creating a project with Hero Arts products (and with something that has eyes!) to start the weekend sound like the perfect plan?!? 

I'd like to join: 

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Emboss It 

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

Allsorts Challenge: Anything Goes

Ellibelle's I Spy With My Little Eye Challenge: Butterflies

Try It on Tuesday: Butterflies

 

Current Challenget at Time Out... Your Favorite Winged Thing!

Hi friends!

I'm a couple of days late with my post for Time Out Challenges... But better late than never! :)

Our current challenge is "Inspired by Your Favorite Winged Thing" and it was an easy choice for me... Definitely butterflies! 

I played with some sparkly and shiny water color backgrounds I had made with water color and shimmer powders. I embossed one of them with an Altenew folder and then swiped white pigment ink on top of the embossing to make it stand out even more. I cut the Honey Bee butterfly from a different water color panel. The sentiment, also by Honey Bee, is simply white heat embossed on black and cut out. I love how moody and "dark academia" with a pop of color this turned out! :) 

I hope to see you joining our challenge. There's lot's of more DT inspiration and all the challenge details available HERE. 

 

New Challenge at Time Out!

Hi friends!

Due to busy work schedules I haven't been making cards for all of my design teams in the past couple of months... But today I'm happy to be joining the new challenge at Time Out and hopefully my schedules permit me to join more often now! Making a card may only take some hours... But when one is very busy, those extra hours outside responsibilities tend to lack mojo and lean towards simply chilling! Are you familiar with the phenomenon? :) 

Our challenge is a very fun one:

May the 4th be With You! 

May 4th is celebrated as a Star Wars day and that's how we got the idea. However, you don't need Star Wars supplies. Think movie series, celestial, galaxy, sky, northern lights, etc.

My card started with making a watercolor background. I used Brusho powders and Cosmic Shimmer Pixie Sparkles -it's a pity you can't really see the beautiful shine that the background has! I then heat embossed a background stamp image by Echo Park, I've had this for years and I love it. The heat embossing powder is by Ranger and it's a new favorite, the shade is called Bubbly. It's like a creamy, slighty golden silver. Lighter than Liquid Platinum if you have that. It's a very beautiful shade!

The die cut sentiment comes from Textures by Lou Collins and goes well with the challenge I think! This will be fun to give a way as a little encouragement card. 

Please head on over to our challenge blog for all the challenge details and lots of more DT inspiration! 

 

Card for Hero Arts Collective Chellenge + Secret for Arranging Die Cuts in a Card Layout!

Hi friends!

Hero Arts released a challenge in their new Facebook group Hero Arts Collective and I couldn't wait to play along immediately! :) The challenge is simply to use your favorite Hero Arts products and post your card photo in the group before May 5th. I've been loving the dies from the Friendship Blooms collection and once again made a card with the floral dies from the collection... You'll find all of my Friendship Blooms cards by simply scrolling down for older post. Anyway -the products I used are:

Floral Pattern Cover Plate Die

Small Flower Layering Fancy Dies 

Large Flower Layering Fancy Dies

I also used for the first time a big die cut Celebrate-word from It's Our Anniversary Stamp and Cut from the Let's Celebrate collection. Very fun die!

I want to share my favorite tip for arranging die cuts on a card because I know it can be overwhelming to find a beautiful layout... Or choose in between the ideas that you have. What I tend to do is that while I'm trying different layouts, I snap photos of the arrangements I come up... And then choose with the help of the photos which one I like the best. The photos will also help you with forming the arrangement when you are re-creating it. Also, for some reason -at least for me it's easier to see from the photo if the arrangement looks good or not than to just look at the card in front of me in the table! Below are two photos -one of an arrangement that I ditched and one of that I chose and re-created! What do you think of this method? I encourage you to try it! 

I'd like to play along in a couple of other challenges too:

A Cut Above: April Anything Goes

Allsorts Challenge: Anything Goes

Die Cut Divas: Flowers

Beautiful Blossoms: Anything Goes

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Make it Girly

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Blooming Blooms

Thank you for popping by!