Cardmaking and Scrapbooking with Jean Manis
Hello! I’m excited to share that I have a guest post up on the Spellbinders blog featuring The Poet’s Garden Collection by Susan Tierney-Cockburn. I’m sharing three card designs created with this beautiful floral collection, along with all the details behind each project. I’d love for you to visit the blog post, take a look at the cards, and leave a comment.
Hello! This card features a die-cut dog created with the Elizabeth Craft Designs Dogs set, part of the Dogs Day Collection, cut from soft finish cardstock and hand-colored. I paired the assembled dog with coordinating dog-themed patterned paper including a printed sentiment, making this an easy card to put together. An arch die spotlights the focal image, a design approach I return to often because it allows the character of the die to shine.
One of the things I love about this collection is the variety of dogs and the number of accessory sets that mix and match so well. I am slowly making my way through the collection. There is no shortage of inspiration on the Elizabeth Craft Designs blog and their YouTube channel.
Hello! This Valentine card came together as a true mashup, blending newer products with well-loved favorites from my stash. I used the Spellbinders January 2026 Large Die of the Month frame pairing it with the Simon Hurley Birthday Bear for a cheerful focal point. A winter-themed Simon Hurley die set and several older Valentine-themed die sets filled in the details. I talked about my fondness for product mashups in this post.
Hello! One of the special perks of purchasing all of the Spellbinders kit clubs is receiving the Crate bonus item, and this month’s offering is an especially good one. The bonus die set includes a beautifully designed frame with coordinating florals that comes together quickly and effortlessly. It creates a finished, polished look while leaving plenty of room for creativity in the center. For this card, I added the hummingbirds from the Large Die of the Month, which fit perfectly inside the frame. This is the kind of die set you’ll reach for again and again.
When a birthday card is meant for a child, a playful focal point and clear design go a long way. For this card, I used the Birthday Bear die set created by Simon Hurley, part of the Spellbinders Sending Hugs Collection, letting a patterned paper background guide my color choices for the bear’s hat and gift. A Polaroid-style frame helps contain the scene. The versatility of this die set really shines, since it’s easy to swap colors to suit a girl or a boy, and you can choose to build either a sweet panda or a more traditional bear.
