Spellbinders | August 2025 Clubs Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hello there, I am delighted to be joining Spellbinders today to celebrate the August 2025 Club Kits with a fun blog hop. Each stop on the hop is sharing a different club. Mine is the Small Die of the Month Club Kit called "The Deep Blue Two". In case you missed it, I already shared one card using the kit here. 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

For my card, I started off by die cutting the coral, seaweed and fish from the Spellbinders August 2025 Small Die of the Month Club Kit from Spellbinders ColorWheel Cardstock. I used Orchid and Mulberry for the large coral, Lilac, Lavender and Fairy Tale for the tube pipe coral, and Peridot and Rainforest for the seaweed. 

For the fish, I used Lavender and Lilac for the small fish, cutting the base layer from Raven for the eyes. The two bigger fish were cut from Beeswax and Carrot, again with Raven for the eyes. 

For the scuba divers, I cut their faces and hands from Alabaster, the hair for the one on the left from Truffle, the hair for the one on the right from Acorn, their scuba wetsuits from Lilac and Raven, their flippers from Beeswax, and their oxygen tanks from Fog. For the masks I used layers of (bottom to top) Raven, Classic White, Seaside and Raven again. I used Anchor for the mouth part. 

I adhered all the layers together for the divers and sea life using Bearly Art Glue and set them aside while I worked on the card base. 

I took a 4.25" x 5.25" panel of Spellbinders Waterfall ColorWheel Cardstock and added ink blending at the bottom using Altenew Sweet Dreams Fresh Dye Inks (Aqualicious & Teal Cave) using a Large Blending Brush. It was adhered to a US A2 sized white card base using tape runner adhesive. The coral was adhered first, followed by the seaweed. I adhered the fish using liquid glue and the divers using thin foam tape. 

I stamped the sentiment from the Spellbinders Typewriter Adventure Sentiments Clear Stamp Set onto black cardstock using Versamark Ink. I applied white embossing powder and heat set. It was cut into a strip and adhered to the card using thin foam tape. To finish, I embellished with Concord & 9th Dew Drops. 

BLOG HOP:

Please click on the participants' links below to visit their blogs:

Spellbinders Blog
DOM - Michelle Short - you are here!
DOML - Vicky Papaioannou
DOMST - Bonnie Crane
GOM - Sandi MacIver
CDOM - Vicki Poulton
EOM - Bibi Cameron
3EOM - Sheri Humes-Gilson
BPOM - Cheryl Penner
WSOM - Mindy Eggen
SOM - Lisa Tilson
BONUS - Allison Frazier

GIVEAWAY:

To celebrate, Spellbinders are giving away a $25 gift certificate to 3 lucky blog readers – selected from the comments on our blog. Giveaway closes Sunday, August 17th, 11:59 pm MST. The winner will be announced in this blog hop post the following Wednesday. The winner is responsible for shipping costs, duties, and taxes. Please note, store credit (gift certificate) cannot be applied to Club Subscriptions. Store credit can be applied to shop past Club products, Club extras and regular releases.

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to what I have used on the project. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

Thank you so much for stopping by today, I hope you have a wonderful time on the rest of the hop and a great rest of the day too! Take care! 

Spellbinders | You're Fintastic

Hello there, I hope you are doing well. Today I have a card to share using the Spellbinders August 2025 Small Die of the Month Club Kit called "The Deep Blue Two". The theme this month for all the kits is under the sea and this kit features coral, seaweed, fish and two deep sea divers. I excluded the deep sea divers for this card and just focussed on the fish and coral, but I will have another card to share tomorrow featuring the divers! 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

I started off by die cutting the coral, seaweed and fish from the Spellbinders August 2025 Small Die of the Month Club Kit from Spellbinders ColorWheel Cardstock. I used Orchid for the large coral piece, die cutting it twice to layer up one on top of another for some dimension. I used Lilac, Lavender and Fairy Tale for the tube pipe coral, and Peridot and Rainforest for the seaweed. 

For the fish, I used Lavender and Lilac for the small fish, cutting the base layer from Raven for the eyes. The two bigger fish were cut from Beeswax and Carrot. I adhered all the layers together using Bearly Art Glue and set them aside while I worked on the card base. 

I took a 4.25" x 5.25" panel of Spellbinders Waterfall ColorWheel Cardstock and added ink blending at the bottom using Altenew Sweet Dreams Fresh Dye Inks (Aqualicious & Teal Cave) using a Large Blending Brush (love these brushes for getting a soft smooth blend!). It was adhered to a US A2 sized white card base using tape runner adhesive. 

The coral was adhered first, followed by the seaweed. I adhered the smaller fish using liquid glue and the larger fish using thin foam tape. I stamped the sentiment from the Spellbinders Typewriter Adventure Sentiments Clear Stamp Set onto black cardstock using Versamark Ink. I applied white embossing powder and heat set. It was cut into a strip and adhered to the card using thin foam tape. To finish, I embellished with Concord & 9th Dew Drops. 

SUPPLIES:

 

Here are the links to what I have used on the project. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

SPELLBINDERS CLUB KITS

To buy the kit - if you are a current subscriber to the Small Die of the Month Club Kit (or any kit), you do not need to do anything. You will be charged as normal on the 5th of the month and your kit will be shipped to you. If you are a new subscriber, you can purchase the kit from the 6th - 27th August 2025. Members can cancel their membership at any time. If you are not keen on subscribing to the kit but still want it, you can purchase it individually (without a subscription) on the 10th of the following month but the price will be higher. 

As mentioned, I will be back tomorrow to share another card using the kit. Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a wonderful day! 

Spellbinders | Joy

Hello there and happy Sunday to you! Today I have a card to share using the new Spellbinders City Holiday Collection by Yana Smakula, which is out today along with lots of other fabulous collections. The Shadow Joy Dies have three different layers to them to create, as the name suggests, a shadow on the word joy. I used just one layer on this card but you change it up and add two! 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

I started off my card by creating the card base, since I wanted to give it time to dry. I took a 4.25" x 5.5" panel of Spellbinders Cosmic Sky ColorWheel Cardstock and added ink blending around the edges using Hero Arts Nautical Core Ink and an Extra Large Blending Brush. I then splattered the new Spellbinders Sparkle Splatter Effects (this has a lovely silvery shimmer to it!) on top and set it aside to dry. Once dry, it was adhered to a US A2 sized white card base. 

I then took the base layer of the joy from Spellbinders Shadow Joy Etched Dies and die cut it from Spellbinders Brushed Metallic Silver Treasured Cardstock. I cut the top layer from Spellbinders Cosmic Sky ColorWheel Cardstock twice. I adhered them on top of each other and then onto the silver layer. 

I took the foliage from Spellbinders Christmas Cracker Etched Dies and cut the holly from Spellbinders Rainforest ColorWheel Cardstock, the evergreen sprigs from Spellbinders Fern ColorWheel Cardstock, and the berry sprig from Spellbinders Peridot ColorWheel Cardstock. The berries were cut from Spellbinders Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock. I adhered the berries onto the sprigs and then arranged and adhered all the foliage onto the card, using the joy word as a guide for placement. 

The joy word was then adhered on top. I took the sentiments from the Spellbinders Mistletoe Greetings Press Plate & Die Set and foiled them onto white cardstock using Spellbinders Silver Foil and the Glimmer Hot Foil System. They were die cut out and the 'Christmas Greetings' one adhered onto the card (with liquid glue on the left and thin foam tape on the right). To finish, I embellished with Spellbinders Silver Mix Color Essentials Gems. 

SUPPLIES:

 

Here are the links to what I have used on the project. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

This collection from Yana is absolutely stunning! I have another card that I made using the collection, for the Spellbinders Blog, which I will share next week. Thank you so much for stopping by today, I hope you have a wonderful rest of the weekend! Take care! 

Spellbinders | Color Swatch Petal Stack Colour Combos

Hello there, today I have something a little different to share. Back in March, I shared how I was swatching my Spellbinders ColorWheel Cardstock, you can see that post here. Well, there is a new die in town! This one is to help with colour combinations. 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

The new Spellbinders Color Swatch Petal Stack is a die that cuts six different pieces that stack on to the base layer of the original Spellbinders Color Swatch Petal Etched Dies. This is a great way to keep track of different colour combinations. 

I started off by grabbing some of the Spellbinders ColorWheel Cardstock that I use the most and die cutting it using the Spellbinders Color Swatch Petal Stack die. This die cuts all six sections/stack pieces at once, that is why most of my colour combinations have the same colour palette, so that I could utilise as may of the pieces as possible! You could, however, be more strategic and place the die over the piece of cardstock and just cut that portion of it. 

I then cut the base layer of the Spellbinders Color Swatch Petal Etched Dies from Spellbinders Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock. I also cut the toppers from white too. You can do them from a colour of cardstock but I didn't have that many colours for my combos today! I added Barely Art Glue to the back of the stack pieces and then adhered them to the base piece, followed by the topper piece at the top. 

For reference, the colour combos I used are:

Left to right and colours bottom to top:

1. Lavender, Fairy Tale, Lilac, Beeswax, Classic White
2. Tutu, Blush, Pomegranate, Teal Topaz, Waterfall
3. Blush, Tutu, Waterfall, Teal Topaz, Peridot
4. Classic White, Waterfall, Teal Topaz, Peridot, Rainforest
5. Lilac, Lavender, Fairy Tale, Waterfall, Teal Topaz

You can get a stamp set with the names of the cardstock on, so that you could stamp them on the stacked pieces. I liked them without, so I just wrote the names on the back of the swatches instead.  

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to what I have used on the project. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

If you are stuck for colour combinations, Spellbinders has a DIY Color Deck System that works specifically with their ColorWheel Cardstock that looks great! I do not have it yet but it looks like a great idea! There are loads of different colour combinations on Pinterest though, if you are not too specific regarding the shade of colour matching the cardstock perfectly. Thanks so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a great day! 

Altenew | August 2025 Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hello there, I am delighted to be joining Altenew today to celebrate the August 2025 release. Another wonderful release this month - stamps, dies, embossing folders, pens, storage pockets and more! Today I have two projects to share with you, plus a look at the new pens and storage pockets. 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

ROSE REVERIE

My first card uses the new Altenew Build-A-Garden: Rose Reverie. I started off by stamping the image onto a panel of white cardstock using Altenew Obsidian Pigment Ink. I then used the coordinating stencils to colour the image in using ink blending. I used Altenew Deep Blue Seas Fresh Dye Inks for the petals and Altenew Green Valley Fresh Dye Inks for the leaves. 

I then die cut it out using the coordinating die. I adhered it to a US A2 sized white card base using Altenew Instant Dimension Foam Tape, cutting off the excess from the sides using scissors. I stamped a sentiment from the set onto Altenew Crafty Necessities Jet Black Cardstock using Altenew Embossing Ink. 

I applied Altenew Pure White Crisp Embossing Powder and heat set. It was cut into a strip and adhered to the card with thin foam tape. To finish, I embellished with Altenew Ivory Pearl Dots. 

BRIGHT BLOOMS + FINE LINER PENS

For my next project, I created a tag using the new Bright Blooms Layering Die Set and Fine Liner Pens. I started off by die cutting two sets of the dies in the Altenew Bright Blooms Layering Die Set from white cardstock. I added ink blending to the petals using Altenew Pocketful of Sunshine Fresh Dye Inks. I used Altenew Coffee Break Fresh Dye Inks for the flower centres. 

I die cut the leaves from the Altenew Craft-A-Flower: Prairie Roses Layering Die Set from white cardstock and added ink blending to them using Altenew Green Valley Fresh Dye Inks. I then assembled the flowers using the keyhole system and liquid glue. I die cut an Altenew Terrific Tags Die from white cardstock and adhered the leaves and flowers on top using liquid glue. I then die cut the hole reinforcer from Altenew Labels & Tags 2 Die Set from Altenew Crafty Necessities Jet Black Cardstock and adhered that at the top. 

Instead of adding embellishments, I thought I would add "splatter" using the new Altenew Fine Liner Pens 2.0. Although difficult to see, I used a few different sizes for the dots - mainly 01 and 03, but I did use 005 for the tiny ones too! 

I stamped a sentiment from Altenew Build-A-Garden: Rose Reverie onto Altenew Crafty Necessities Jet Black Cardstock using Altenew Embossing Ink. I applied Altenew Pure White Crisp Embossing Powder and heat set. It was cut into a strip and adhered to the tag using Altenew Instant Dimension Foam Tape. To finish, I tied twine through the top of the tag and tied in a bow. 

STORAGE POCKETS

Before I go, I wanted to share that there are two new sizes of storage pockets available now. The ones on the left are 4.5" x 6" Storage Pockets and are great for smaller stamp sets but also die cuts, wax seals and general storage for smaller bits and bobs. The ones of the right are the 6.5" x 8.5" Storage Pockets and fit embossing folders and paper pads, plus lots more! 

BLOG HOP:

This post is part of a fun, inspirational blog hop with prizes. Please click on the other participants in the hop below to visit their blogs. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

GIVEAWAY:

$300 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $100 gift certificate to 1 lucky winner and a $50 gift certificate to 4 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by August 14th for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 5 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew's Blog Hop Post on August 16th, 2025.The winner of the $100 gift certificate will be chosen from comments left on the Altenew blog. 

SUPPLIES:

 

Here are the links to what I have used on the project. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a wonderful rest of the day! 

Simon Says Stamp | I Dig You!

Hello there, today I have a clean and simple card to share with you using the Rooting for You set that was kindly sent to me to use as part of Simon Says Stamp's Happy Camper release. This is such a fun set perfect for gardening enthusiasts! 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

I started off my card by stamping the ground from the Simon Says Stamp Rooting for You Stamp Set onto a panel of white cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. I then stamped the cat with the wheelbarrow image from the set onto a separate panel of white cardstock using the same ink. 

Both were coloured using Copic Markers (the colours that I used are listed below the supply area). I fussy cut out the cat and wheelbarrow using scissors, but there are dies available if fussy cutting is not your thing! 

I stamped the sentiment from the set onto the panel using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink. The panel was then adhered to a US A2 sized white card base with tape runner adhesive. The cat and wheelbarrow were adhered on top using thin foam squares. 

SUPPLIES:

 

Here are the links to what I have used on the project. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

COPIC MARKERS: Cat - W10, W8, W7, W5, W3, W2, W1. Wheelbarrow - V17, V15, V12. Spade - V17, V15, V12/C6, C5, C3, C1. Carrot - YR18, YR15/G29, YG17, YG23, YG01. Soil - E57, E55, E53. 

I really like how these images work well for clean and simple cards, although you don't have to use them for that, there are lots of characters in the set, so you could definitely make a big scene with them too! Thank you so much for stopping by today, I hope you have a wonderful day! 

Hero Arts | Hero Studio August 2025 Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hello there, I am delighted to be joining Hero Arts today for a fun blog hop to celebrate the Hero Studio August 2025 release. The theme this month is Ichabod's Study. The Card Kit of the Month, Stamp & Cut of the Month, Dies of the Month, Layering Stencils of the Month, and Cling of the Month are all releasing today. You can also purchase the Whole Studio which includes all of the kits and a free gift. Today, I am focussing on the Card Kit and the Layering Stencils of the Month. 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

HERO STUDIO CARD KIT OF THE MONTH

The Card Kit this month is a fun one! There are lights and special film in the kit so that you can add pictures into the frame. You cannot see them when you add the film on top but then if you light them up, the image appears which is super cool! I went in a different direction with the card I am showing you, but I did want to mention that that is the main idea for this kit. 

I started off my card by stamping the cobweb image from the Hero Studio August 2025 Card Kit of the Month stamp set onto a panel of Spellbinders Lilac ColorWheel Cardstock using Hero Arts Clear Embossing & Watermark Ink. I applied Hero Arts White Detail Embossing Powder and heat set. 

I then added ink blending around the edges of the panel using Hero Arts Amethyst Core Ink, followed by Hero Arts Purple Galaxy Reactive Ink and finally, a little Hero Arts Pitch Black Core Ink. I splattered on Hero Arts Pitch Black Core Inker and then mixed a little Hero Arts Black Hero Wax with water and splattered that on too, before setting aside to dry. 

I die cut four frames from the Hero Studio August 2025 Card Kit of the Month die set from Hero Arts Pitch Black Cardstock. I layered them up so that I had two frames, each two layers of die cuts high. I then die cut three bats from Spellbinders Onyx Metallic Glitter Treasured Cardstock. They were adhered to the card using liquid glue. 

I stamped a sentiment from the kit stamp set onto Hero Arts Pitch Black Cardstock using Hero Arts Clear Embossing & Watermark Ink. I applied Hero Arts Detail White Embossing Powder and heat set. It was die cut out using the coordinating die and adhered to the card. To finish, I embellished with Hero Arts Black Enamel Dots. 

WHAT’S IN THE KIT?

The Hero Arts August 2025 Card Kit of the Month includes:

Abraham and Katrina 6x8 Stamp Set

Abraham and Katrina Coordinating Dies

Stamping Guide for stamp set

Victorian Frame Die Set

Pear Blosson Press-One Light 2 Pack

10 Sheets of Cardstock- 1 of each color, 5.5" x 8.5" (Cinnamon, Terra Cotta, Carrot, Coral, Bellini, Tuscan, Mint, Waterfall, Blue Spruce, Raven)

Holographic Rainbow Film, 1 sheet - 5.5" x 8.5"

Acetate, 1 sheet - 5.5" x 8.5"

HERO STUDIO LAYERING STENCILS OF THE MONTH

For my stencil card, I started off by taking the Hero Studio August 2025 Layering Stencils of the Month and placed the first one onto a panel of white cardstock. Using an Ink Blending Brush, I blended on Hero Arts Purple Galaxy Reactive Ink. I removed the stencil and placed the next one down, for this layer I used Hero Arts Pitch Black Core Ink. 

The third layer uses Hero Arts Green Hills Core Ink and the final layer uses Hero Arts Papaya Core Ink. I cut the panel down to 3.5" x 5.75" and then die cut it using the Hero Arts Bat Infinity Dies. I bent the wings up slightly and then adhered them in the same place that I cut them from the stencilled panel, onto a black card base. 

I stamped a sentiment from the Hero Studio August 2025 Card Kit of the Month stamp set onto Hero Arts Pitch Black Cardstock using Hero Arts Clear Embossing & Watermark Ink. I applied Hero Arts White Detail Embossing Powder and heat set. It was die cut out using the coordinating die. I cut the die another three times from black cardstock and layered them up one on top of another before adhering to the card. To finish, I embellished with Hero Arts Black Enamel Dots. 

WHAT’S IN THE KIT?

The Hero Arts Layering Stencils of the Month called Sunnyside Manor includes four mylar stencils that layer up to create a pattern. 

BLOG HOP:

For the hop, you should have arrived here from Mindy Eggen. Next on the hop is Michelle Lupton. If you get lost along the way or want to start the hop from the beginning, please head over to the Hero Arts Blog. 

GIVEAWAY:

Hero Arts will give away a $50 gift card, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Tuesday, August 5th at 11:59pm PT, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week. Leave a comment on all stops for more chances to win!

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to what I have used on the projects. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a wonderful time on the rest of the hop and a great day! 

Simon Says Stamp | Hello, Friend

Hello there, I am delighted to be joining Simon Says Stamp today to share inspiration using their new Happy Camper release, which is out now! My card today uses the beautiful new Blossom Burst Embossing Folder, as well as a new sentiment die. 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

I started off my card by adding ink blending to a panel of white cardstock. Using an Altenew Small Blending Brush, I applied Altenew Baby Pink at the top, followed by Fuchsia, Hydrangea, Ultraviolet and then finishing with Crystal Violet at the bottom. I placed the panel inside the new Simon Says Stamp Blossom Burst Embossing Folder and ran it through my die cutting machine. 

Once I removed it, I then went over the panel with the same inks. This grabs on to the raised areas and makes them slightly darker. I then splattered on Tim Holtz Distress Spritz in Wilted Violet and Picked Raspberry. There wasn't enough shimmer for my liking, so I spritzed on a light layer Sparkle Sheer Shimmer Spritz on top too. 

Finally, I mixed Spellbinders Splatter White with a little water and splattered that over too before setting it aside to dry. Once dry, it was adhered to an A2 sized white card base using tape runner adhesive. I took the new Simon Says Stamp Nuvelli Script Hello Die and die cut it four times from white cardstock. 

They were adhered one on top of another (for dimension) and then adhered onto the card. I stamped the 'friend' from Simon Says Stamp Tiny Words (masking off from a larger sentiment) onto white cardstock using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink. It was cut into a strip and adhered under the hello with thin foam tape to finish. 

SUPPLIES:

 

Here are the links to what I have used on the project. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

I do have another card to share with you using the release on Saturday, but in the mean-time, I hope you will check out the release! Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a wonderful day!