Tag: spellbinders

NEW Spellbinders • “Classic Mouse Graduation” • April 2026 Release

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Hello Folks! Scott here with a NEW release in Spellbinders’ Classic Mouse Collection! We have the Classic Mouse Graduation Die Set and the Classic Mouse Graduation Sentiments Press + Foil Plate + Die set. Just in time for all those spring Graduations!

So far, in addition to the original Steamboat Willie Duo Die Set, the Classic Mouse Collection has released Christmas add-ons, and a Love collection (Valentine), and now we get to see our Classic Mouse Graduate! What sets this collection apart from the other add-ons is this die set is all inclusive – it does NOT require having the Steamboat Willie Duo die set like the Christmas and Love accessories dies required. There is one body and head and then you can select whether to make the mouse a boy or a girl graduate.

The mouse dies are complimented with this Press + Foil Plate + Die set. The Graduation Tassel is the perfect image to give to a Press + Foil Plate – the detail in that tassel is incredibly fine! And I do love the fact that apparently, many people are making their Foil Plates and their BetterPress Plates interchangeable. That saves us consumers money and was just the incentive I needed to jump on the BetterPress bandwagon!

My only conundrum with this new release was wrapped up in my own school colors – Black and Gold for High School and Black and Yellow at College. I also did a search for graduation pictures and the vast majority of graduation gowns are Black! There are a few Blues, Greens and Reds, but most everybody’s gown is Black. So how does a black robe look on a Black mouse body…? Hmmmm…! I decided to embrace the “Classic Mouse” theme and made my first graduate Mouse in shades of Grey!

There is an assembly guide available at Spellbinders for some helpful guidelines in putting your graduates together.

I do prefer to skip the “mouth” die and die-cut the tongue with the head die to paper-piece it into place. Also, remember that all of the dies are designed to leave a thin black outline around everything. Also, the front of the robe die also cuts that piece in half right where the zipper would go… I did find it much easier to line the gown up to the body (and the debossed guideline) by taping the two halves together. AND… make sure you get the tails between the robe layers!

I do have a nephew that is graduating from High School next year… and he goes to my old Alma Mater! So Black and Gold it is! The lining on my actual graduation gown was black, but I felt that making the lining Gold would be a great way to add some color and dimension to this robe, while still staying true to the school colors! That would work for adding any school colors to these graduates! There are also two new hands with this die set that has the left hand reaching out to accept a diploma. With a little finesse, you can get the fingers to “wrap” around the diploma! I love the tennis shoes too, but I do think you should start the assembly with the shoes lest they get in the way of the robe.

I used card stocks from my paper scraps to die-cut all the mouse parts and glued the mouse together. I used my Glimmer Hot Foil System from Spellbinders, Gold Foil and Hero Arts Pitch Black card Stock to foil the sentiment and the graduation tassel. I die-cut them both with their matching dies. I die-cut the year from Pitch Black and Goldenrod card stocks and glued them together. I die-cut two more blanks for the sentiment and the background of the numbers and stacked them up for more dimension.

I cut a piece of plain Ivory card stock to 4″ x 5.25″ and partially die-cut (just the right side) the tassel on the right side of the card stock. Then I glued the die cut tassel to the matching cut edge on the ivory card stock. I cut a piece of plain Black card stock to 4 & 1/8″ X 5 & 3/8″ and glued that behind the Ivory before gluing both to an A2 White card base. (I did have to trim off a bit of the tassel on the bottom right). I wanted a little grounding for our mouse so I used the plate die (from the MMH September 2018 kit) and and did a top/bottom partial die-cut to give me the medium Grey ellipse under the graduate. I glued the sentiment and year in place and added our graduate with foam tape. I do glue the tip of his tail down to keep it from getting caught on anything.

I die-cut the graduation cap charm from some Tim Holtz Champagne Metallic card stock and I die-cut the ring on top of the charm a second time and used that partial ring to attach the charm to the tassel. Gold and Black flat sequins adds some festive sparkle and highlights the sentiment. I did add a gold-foiled and die cut “You Did It!” to the inside of this card. Now, I’m way ahead of the game, and I am all set for the nephew’s graduation NEXT year!

If you have any pearlescent card stocks in your stash I think they are perfectly suited to a cap and gown for graduation!

Since I have a colored robe here, I figured we could do a regular Black and White mouse. Again, I used card stock scraps for all the die-cutting. I did use Gina K. Wild Dandelion card stock for the background. I used my BetterPress System and BetterPress Black ink to emboss the sentiments on the background. Unfortunately, I got the “Congrats grad!” sentiment just a little bit crooked, so I re-did that sentiment, and the “bravo!” and the “so proud of you” sentiments on the same card stock used for the stole and tassel, and die-cut them all out with their matching dies. At least the “Class of” sentiment came out straight!

I stenciled the sunburst (lightly) behind our mouse with the Sun Stencil from the MMH February 2024 Premium Kit and Fossilized Amber Distress oxide ink. That gives a little highlight to our graduate! I die-cut the background panel to 5″ x 3.75″ with a Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle die and added a (5.25″ x 4″) black mat and glued those to an A2 White card base. I glued the die cut sentiments flat (over their pressed sentiments) and glued the year in place.

I added the mouse in place using foam tape, and I added the die cut “so proud of you” sentiment on the inside of the card. I die-cut a Black banner using the Lawn Fawn Everyday Sentiment Banners die set, trimmed it to length, and glued the sentiment on top. Love using pearlescent card stock on the cap and gown! No Bling Needed!

The Classic Mouse Graduation Sentiments Press + Foil + Die Set is terrifically useful for graduation cards all by itself! No graduating mice needed!

The tassel die is so detailed and works great with the BetterPress plates. I used a Porcelain BetterPress Cotton Card Panel to press (stamp) the tassel four times using Ranger Archival Inks in Deep Purple, Manganese Blue, Monarch Orange, and Vermillion. Any pigment ink you have will work with the BetterPress plates… you don’t have to use the BetterPress inks. I trimmed the pressed (stamped) panel to 3.75″ x 5″ with a HA Rectangle Infinity Die, added a thin Black mat and glued those to a White card base.

The sentiments are Glimmer foiled with Gold on Pitch Black card stock and die-cut with their matching dies. The year is die-cut from Pitch Black and Gold Metallic card stocks and glued together. The sentiments and date are glued flat to the card front and I added an assortment of clear star glitter pieces for some graduation sparkle! I actually intended this to be a 2026 graduation card, but I guess I was too focused on getting the date glued down straight and square, and forgot to pay attention to whether the numbers were right side up or upside down! Hopefully, one of my nieces or nephews will be graduating in 2029!?! HA!

As you know, I am not the greatest fan of die-cutting, but this Classic Mouse Series has me totally captivated… and the simple fact that this is a stand alone set makes it a terrific addition to this line! No extras needed!!

This is a great trio of graduation cards…! The cap and gown for the mice are flat out adorable, the tassel Press + Foil die is amazing all by itself, and I love the numbers with their shadow dies – those should prove quite useful over the years! If you’d like to grab these all inclusive sets for yourself, please use the links below! I do make a small commission from whatever you buy through my links at Spellbinders, and that helps keep the wheels churning and the inspiration coming! It is (as always) supremely appreciated!

Classic Mouse Graduation Die Set: https://www.dpbolvw.net/click-101337132-15861759?url=https%3A%2F%2Fspellbinderspaperarts.com%2Fcollections%2Fclassic-mouse-graduation%2Fproducts%2Fclassic-mouse-graduation-etched-dies

Classic Mouse Graduation Sentiments Press + Foil + Die Set: https://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-101337132-15861759?url=https%3A%2F%2Fspellbinderspaperarts.com%2Fcollections%2Fclassic-mouse-graduation%2Fproducts%2Fclassic-mouse-graduation-sentiments-press-foil-plate-die-set

Classic Mouse Graduation I Want It All Bundle: https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-101337132-15861759?url=https%3A%2F%2Fspellbinderspaperarts.com%2Fproducts%2Fclassic-mouse-graduation-i-want-it-all-bundle%3F_pos%3D7%26_sid%3D4a11b9d4f%26_ss%3Dr

Thank you so much for sharing some time with me today… I hope you enjoyed another mid-month diversion as I keep exploring the Simple Stories Classic Mouse collection! If you enjoyed this post, please click the Like Star at the bottom of the page, and if you wish to be notified when a new post comes out, just click the Follow Me at the top of the page. And don’t hesitate to send me a note if you have any comments or questions. Please take a moment to Like Me, List Me, Pin Me, Post Me, basically, just share this post with all your crafty friends – especially any Disney Fans! And remember… Don’t run with scissors! As always, I send You and Yours Love and Light, and Happy Crafting!!

DISCLOSURE: This site contains some affiliate links to products. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links (at no cost to you). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you!

Spellbinders “Classic Mouse Love” and “Classic Mouse Happy Sentiments” January ’26 Release

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Hello Folks! Scott here with another mid-month treat for you… New add-on dies, and press & foil sentiments to go along with your Simple Stories Steamboat Willie Duo die set released last year.

This is the second add-on set from Spellbinders that compliments the original Steamboat Willie dies released last year – We did get a September 2025 release of the Classic Mouse Christmas Embellishments and Classic Mouse Holiday Wreath, so this is a welcome addition to the Simple Stories line directing us towards Valentine’s Day! I was thrilled by the addition of two new arms for our characters that create a “hand heart” when put together. There are also lots of accessories including a box of candy, a rose, a balloon, a heart lock (open and closed) with a key, an envelope and a sucker(?), as well as a nice new boater hat for Mickey!

I was delighted that Santa gave me a new Spellbinders BetterPress Paperpress system this year because part of the New Year changes at Spellbinders include combining the Glimmer Hot Foil plates and the BetterPress plates into one universal plate that will work with either system. The Classic Mouse Happy Sentiments is a Press + Foil plate! It will work with both the BetterPress and the Glimmer Hot Foil tools!

I couldn’t wait to try out my new BetterPress tool, so I reached for the Happy Sentiments plate to begin with! I think my first run with that new tool worked very well, though I could have probably put a little more ink on the plate to start with. I was a little paranoid about inking up the BetterPress plate a second time, but I love the whole Paperpress texture!

Of course I had to run that new Press + Foil plate through the Glimmer Hot Foil system as well and I was completely impressed with how well that plate worked with BOTH tools! That was part of the reason I was hesitant to get the new BetterPress system… I’d have to invest in more BetterPress plates. I hope all manufacturers combine these plates!

The new arms for Mickey and Minnie in this Classic Mouse Love die set was the most exciting thing to me (there were no extra arms in the Christmas release) so that’s where I started. (Trust me, I do love all the new accessories too!)

I dug into my paper scraps to create Mickey and Minnie – though I did use Pitch Black card stock from Hero Arts for all the black. I gave Mickey the new Boater (die-cut from plain Ivory card stock), and used Minnie’s hat from the original set decorated with a couple of hearts from the new set. I did use a paper punch for the polka-dots on Minnie’s dress, and I gave Mickey the rose and Minnie an (abbreviated) sucker. I thought the candy box was a bit large to put in either of the empty hands – it almost covers their whole body! I just wanted the “hand heart” to be the focus.

I did happen to find this old Mickey Mouse cartoon sketch on line with no copyright restrictions, so I downloaded and printed it out to use as a background for this card. I like the sketchy quality of it and it’s light enough to provide an interesting background without really pulling any focus from the main mice!

You can download a copy of this comic for yourself here:

Mickey Mouse cartoon sketchDownload

I die-cut that background to 5″ x 3.75″ with a Lawn Fawn Stitched rectangle die and added a thin Black Mat and a thin Pearlescent Pink mat before gluing those to a 5″ x 7″ card base. With the new arms, I thought Mickey and Minnie felt a little crowded on an A2 card, and I didn’t want the sentiment to cover any part of the characters. So I glued everything to the card base a bit off to the left and added some Love From Lizi Red Mirror peel-offs (in two widths) to the right side of the card front. I die-cut two more sentiment blanks and glued them to the foiled sentiment and added that to lower right of the card front with some judiciously placed foam squares. There’s some shine on Mickey’s rose and boater bow, and on Minnie’s hat as well as the heart-shaped sucker. I love those new arms that make a perfect “hand heart” together!

There is also the Classic Mouse Love Sentiments in this new release, but I decided to go for the Classic Mouse Happy Sentiments instead because they felt a little more universal… I haven’t used a BetterPress sentiment yet!

Both Minnie and Mickey are done up in Pitch Black card stock and a pack of Gray Ombre card stock from Core’dinations that has been in my stash for quite a while. These are assembled straight from the original die set. I die-cut the heart with the largest HA Infinity Nesting Frame Heart die from some pearlescent Pink card stock and glued that to the front of an A2 White Glimmer card base. I glued the characters to the heart and added the “sucker” from the new die set cut from the same Grays as the characters. I layered up the BetterPress sentiment with two die-cut blanks and glued that in place. You see there’s not a lot of room on an A2 card for a sentiment when you feature both characters. I love the retro feeling on this valentine, and really like the perfectly tuned Mickey Mouse sentiment.

While playing around with these dies, Joel walked into the craft room and saw one of my Mickey heads floating around on my desk, and I had just die-cut the Heart Balloon from the new set when he suggested that Mickey’s head should be the balloon… AHA!

That works perfectly with this sentiment, and makes me giggle so much! Since this card was only featuring Mickey, I decided to do a Mini-Slimline card – a 6″ x 6″ square scored at 3″ and folded in half for a 3″ x 6″ card. I masked off 1/8″ around the perimeter of the card front with some masking paper and used a Pebbles Chalk palette to add the blended yellow background. With the masking removed, we have a nice white frame around the card.

I assembled Mickey as usual – again I love the fact that these dies allow for a touch of black outline as you layer their pieces to imitate the drawn lines of both characters! I die-cut the balloon string from a scrap of pearlescent pink card stock, and I die-cut the bottom bit of the Heart Balloon (including the “knot”) from more Pitch Black card stock and glued that to the bottom of Mickey’s head for its own balloon knot. I did trim off the left loop of the bow on the string and reconfigured it to go behind the “balloon”. I still wanted to see a bit of the knot, but I didn’t want to obscure too much of the face.

I glued Mickey’s body flat to the card base and added the “balloon” with foam tape for more of a floating sensation. Of course the balloon string fits right into Mickey’s hand and both ends of the string are glued down flat. I die-cut two more blanks of this foiled sentiment, glued them together and then right down to the card front. I LOVE THIS CARD! Not only is it a great visual pun, but, since Mickey is a cartoon, it’s totally plausible for him to be walking around with a balloon head! And the headless torso just makes me laugh!

There are a lot more accessories in this die set than just the ones I used… the locks and key are great for a “key to my heart” card (notice the “latch” on the clasp of the open lock), and I do love the dimensionality of the box of candy, and, well, you know what the balloon inspired!

Speaking of Joel… when I got the original Steamboat Willie Duo dies, he was almost as excited as I was, and he wanted to put his own spin on the Classic Mickey Mouse. Here’s a special bonus featuring Joel’s exacting, engineering mind…

We decided on 3″ squares to create this Warhol-esque Micky Mouse picture. Joel picked all the colors and assembled all the Mickey’s on his own. He was meticulous in his efforts to pose all of the Mickeys exactly the same, and carefully distributed all the colors in the backgrounds, shoes, shorts, buttons and tongues. He also created an elaborate template to make sure he got the Mickeys in the exact same spot on all the colored squares. We attached all the squares together and glued them to a 12″ square black mat. That fits perfectly in an Album frame – we chose White – and now this hangs on the wall underneath our “Sorcerer’s Apprentice Sketch’s” Limited Edition Pin Set in our dining room. High Art Indeed!!

That will wrap us up for another mid-month tangent! If you’d like to grab some of these Classic Mouse die sets from Spellbinders. please use my links listed below – I do make a small commission from whatever you purchase (at no cost to you!) and that really helps keep this page alive with some card-making inspirations coming your way.

The Original: Classic Mouse Steamboat Willie Duo

The Valentine accessories: Classic Mouse Love

Classic Mouse Press + Foil Happy Sentiments

Classic Mouse Press + Foil Love Sentiments

For all your other crafting needs: Spellbinders NEW Products

Thank you so much for sharing some time with me today… I hope you enjoyed this little mid-month diversion as I keep exploring the Classic Mouse Duo die set.! If you enjoyed this, please click the Like Star at the bottom of the post, and if you wish to be notified when a new post comes out, just click the Follow Me at the top of the page. And don’t hesitate to send me a note if you have any comments or questions. Please take a moment to Like Me, List Me, Pin Me, Post Me, basically, share this post with all your crafty friends – especially any Disney Fans! And remember… Don’t run with scissors! As always, I send You and Yours Love and Light, Happy Valentine’s Day, and Happy Crafting!!

DISCLOSURE: This site contains some affiliate links to products. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links (at no cost to you). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you!