Each month Spellbinder’s Paper Arts releases 10 monthly membership clubs designed for die cutting, cardmaking, stamping, stitching and more. You can pick and choose which clubs are the right fit for you, or you can get the entire set, or as they call it, the Deluxe Caboodle and get them all for a discounted price and also get a bonus gift each month.
As a Spellbinders affiliate, I receive three of these club kits each month – the Glimmer Hot Foil Kit, the Clear Stamp and Die Kit and the regular Embossing Folder kit. (I often times order several of the other kits as well, my favorites being the Large Die and Small Die of the month.)
The Glimmer Kit
I have to start by saying that I really loved this months Glimmer Kit. The full background of envelopes is gorgeous. I used black foil and it just foiled beautifully. Probably the best foiling I’ve ever had happen on my Glimmer Hot Foil machine. It just came out perfect. I am actually not a “clean and simple” card person. I’m more of a the more complicated the better type card maker and especially love using complicated dies on my cards. But this foiled background I just loved.
The Scattered Letters Glimmer Hot Foil Kit of the Month is a full background of (you guessed it) Scattered Letters. It also includes two foiled sentiments: Open Me For A Smile and Mailing You a Big Hello with a strip die that cuts out the sentiments.
(Image Source: Spellbinders Paper Arts Website www.spellbinderspaperarts.com)
As I mentioned previously, I foiled the background with black foil and then colored in the little stamps with a red Copic. I trimmed it down by a quarter inch on two sides and then centered it on red Color Essentials Cardstock. Then I foiled the Open Me For A Smile sentiment onto black card stock and used the included die to cut it out. After that I simply glued the sentiment to the background and added a couple of the tiny red Color Essential Gems. That’s it. This is possibly one of the simplest cards I’ve ever made but I really do like it.
(Just to update, I mentioned in my post from January that one of the reasons I volunteered to use the Glimmer Kit of the Month each month was because I wanted to become more comfortable using my Glimmer Hot Foil Machine and I wanted to say that it’s really working. My first few months took a bit of trial and error and learning that some foils and cardstocks just seem to foil better than others but I really am liking it! And this month, the black foil… chef’s kiss.)
Clear Stamp and Die of the Month
The April Clear Stamp and Die of the Month is called Send & Seal. This repeating pattern will cover half of an A2 Card base and then tuck right into itself to create a continuous pattern with ease. The Die Set, (if you get both – optional), has dies that will cut out several of the pieces of mail and other bits and bobs that are a part of the pattern stamp so you can use them individually as well. There are also 8 sentiment (with dies to cut out 7 of them. I do not know why there are only 7 sentiment dies when there are 8 sentiments.)
(Image Source: Spellbinders Paper Arts Website www.spellbinderspaperarts.com)
For my second card (pictured at the top of this post) I used the repeating pattern and stamped it twice on an A3 card base. I also stamped the pattern again on a separate piece of card stock and cut out several of the individual pieces with the coordinating dies. I colored some of the letters, envelopes and packages with my Ohuhu Markers and then used a postage edged die to cut down the background. I layered it onto a piece of A2 sized red cardstock.
I didn’t want my sentiment to blend in with the pattern, so I added a strip of black cardstock to the middle of the card and mounted my sentiment on it. I then took those individual bits that I die cut out and popped them up on foam squares and staggered them along the left hand side.
Someone remind me to use this stamp set with the Owl die set from a year or two ago. It’s giving me Harry Potter vibes.
Embossing Folder Club
I don’t know why I didn’t use the embossing folder this month because it’s great. I know that I will be using it, because there is a great collection coming out soon with all kinds of crafty tools and this embossing folder will go great with it. This month’s embossing folder is called Perforated Stamp Edges and gives a stamped edge look, or even notebook edge vibes.
(Image Source: Spellbinders Paper Arts Website www.spellbinderspaperarts.com)
Large Die of the Month and Small Die of the Month
This month I also purchased the coordinating Large and Small Die of the Month Club Kits. They come later in the month because I ordered these myself so I haven’t yet used them for projects but I look forward to. The little snail is super cute.
This is the Small Die of the Month.
(Image Source: Spellbinders Paper Arts Website www.spellbinderspaperarts.com)
This is the Large Die of the Month. I like it, but these large ones like this are so specific that I don’t always get as much use out of them and I already have a mailbox from Spellbinders so I’ll have to do a brainstorm on how to get the best use out of this die.
(Image Source: Spellbinders Paper Arts Website www.spellbinderspaperarts.com)
Once I get these cards made, I’ll add them to the blog and my instagram as well.
Looking forward to next month’s release! Always hoping it will be something great!
See you then!
Shellie
