BetterPress - To my Favorite Person

Happy Saturday!

It's my first post of 2026!  I have the birthday card I made for our niece to share today.  She turned 29 a couple weeks ago.  I'm not sure where the time has gone.  Seems like yesterday we picked her up at daycare, which is a sweet memory. She was playing in the sandbox and looked up to see us, then ran to us with the biggest smile.

I used the BetterPress plate that came with the Spellbinders BetterPress system.  It did not have a name on it, but the sentiment is 'to my favorite person".  

I used a Unity scalloped nested die to cut some PaperTrey Ink white cardstock and taped it to the clear plate.  Then positioned the BetterPress image plate on the magnetic mat, applied Memento ink and ran the BetterPress through my Spellbinders Platinum Machine.  The sentiment is from PaperTrey Ink retired Fillable Frames #4.  I colored the flowers and leaves with Prismacolor colored pencils. 

I experimented with the special inks and paper the system came with; they are nice.  However, I think the even pressure you get putting the BetterPress through the Spellbinders machine is really the key to the crisp image and the beauty of this system. 

A pretty card, with some patterned paper, an ribbed embossed panel and white organza ribbon from my stash.  I'm trying really hard to use all the pretty things I've accumulated over my many years of cardmaking.

Thanks for stopping by...

Blessings,

Deb

Spellbinders - Cosmos Birthday

Happy Saturday!

Today, I have some birthday cards I made using Spellbinders Cosmos Backdrop and stencil bundle.  I found it on Amazon.  This background is so pretty and with the 4 layer coordinating stencils is so easy to color.  I made several color combinations and also played with the layout and the sentiment. The sentiment is from PTI stamp set Cut Away Tags - Summer.

The background is a BetterPress plate, which I inked with Memento Black ink and ran through my Spellbinder die cut machine to make the impression on PTI White cardstock.  I love the BetterPress plates for large backgrounds, gives a beautiful impression like it is printed.  Then, I colored the image using coordinating stencils.  

The inks used are all PaperTrey Ink - Flowers: Pale Peony and Berry Sorbet; Flower Center: Summer Sunset and Honey Nut; Leaves: Green Parakeet and Simply Chartreuse. 

The first card above is a pink-peach version.  The base card is Pale Peony with a True Black matted image in the upper right corner and matted sentiment in the center.

Card 2 - Teals

The inks used are all PaperTrey Ink - Flowers: Aqua Mist and Hawaiian Shores; Flower Center: Summer Sunset and Honey Nut; Leaves: Green Parakeet and Simply Chartreuse. 

The second card above is a teal version.  The base card is Aqua Mist with a True Black matted image centered and matted sentiment across center of the background.

Card 3: Purples

The inks used are all PaperTrey Ink - Flowers: Lilac Grace and Amethyst Allure; Flower Center: Summer Sunset and Honey Nut; Leaves: Green Parakeet and Simply Chartreuse. 

The third card above is a purple version.  The base card is Lilac Grace with a True Black matted image centered and matted sentiment at an angle across the background.

Card 4: Bright Pinks

The inks used are all PaperTrey Ink - Flowers: Lovely Lady and Raspberry Fizz; Flower Center: Summer Sunset and Honey Nut; Leaves: Green Parakeet and Simply Chartreuse. 

The fourth card above is a bright pink version.  The base card is Raspberry Fizz with a True Black matted image centered and matted sentiment flag added to the background.

Thanks for stopping by...

Blessings to you,

Deb

Spellbinders - Evergreens Christmas Card

Merry Christmas!

Today I have my last 2024 Christmas card to share.  It uses Spellbinders - Seasons Greetings Evergreen Press Plate and the Spellbinders BetterPress System.  This card has a lot of elements to create this scene.  The metal evergreen plate was inked with Memento black ink and image transferred to rag cotton cold press watercolor paper.  I used watercolors to paint the image.  After dry, I added a few sprays of tsukineko glimmer and splatters of watered down white paint, for snow and sparkle.  

I used 2 die cuts for the windows; the upper one is Little Miss Muffet and is actually a screen door die but the outer frame makes a wonderful large arched window.  The second window below is Poppy Small Madison Die.  I painted 10 images and cut them to make 27 cards total.  I was able to get 2 window scenes for the large arched window out of 1 image and 3 window scenes out of 1 painted image for the smaller window die.

I created the wainscoting and trim using a Darice stripe embossing folder.  The green patterned paper I found in my paper stash, perfect for a vintage wallpaper.   

Lastly, I added the Christmas Wishes die cut.

Hope you have a blessed Christmas!

Blessings to you,

Deb

Spellbinders - Let Us Adore Him

Happy Sunday!

I am thrilled to have completed my 2024 Christmas cards.  I have many designs to share over the coming weeks.  Today's card uses Spellbinders BetterPress Letterpress system and a press plate called Let Us Adore Him.  

I took some Christmas cardmaking seminars online this Fall and it was a great place to find inspiration, learn new techniques and a refresh for old techniques too.  Inevitably, I saw new tools demonstrated in the videos and the Spellbinders BetterPress System was new to me.  It is a Letterpress system, like a printing press, you place a metal image plate on a magnetic base.  Then, ink the image plate and run it through the Spellbinders Platinum Machine to transfer the image to the cardstock with even and uniform pressure.   I have to say, for large images and backgrounds, it is amazing, especially when it can be a struggle to get the full image to stamp without a stamping tool.

For this card, I used Gold Brilliance Pigment ink to ink the Let Us Adore Him plate.  The impression transferred really well.  Spellbinders recommends their ink and papers to use the system, however I have been using my normal PaperTrey Ink cardstock and inks I have like Mementos and Brilliance. The BetterPress plates are also compatible with the Spellbinders Glimmer Foil System, so I could have created this card with a gold foil rather than ink.   It is nice to have options.  

I also used a new embossing folder for this card.  It is Spellbinders Holiday Floral Swag 3D embossing folder.  The impression is so amazing, really has a 3D effect.  I embossed a 4.25 x 5.5" piece of cardstock and cut 2 side panels from it. Added a few gold embellishments and gold mat and this card was complete.

Card #2 - different section on the embossed image

More Christmas cards next week.

Thanks for stopping by...
Blessings to you,
Deb