Better Stencil & Die Set Results—Every Time EZ with CZ
Hi friends! Happy Wedesday! Please join me in welcoming special monthly Guest *CZ herself*, Cathy Zielske in the latest of our EZ with CZ blog series! Be sure to watch the video to learn all the details on this pretty card and enjoy!!
Hey everyone, Cathy Z. here to kick off the new year with some great tips for using stencils that have coordinating dies. The Warm Hugs stencils and dies are perfect to share some of my favorite little hacks for getting great results.
I think that having a sticky mat is key to making sure everything is held in place while you blend. That, and starting out with your die cut first. On this particular set, you have to do it that way, but even on other layered stencils with dies, it’s the best way to approach adding the colors.
Here is the video showing you how this card came together along with some of my favorite tips!
WATCH THE VIDEO:
I hope this helps the next time you are creating with stencils and dies.
Thanks so much for stopping by and I’ll see you next month.
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A big thank you to YOU, our reader — and to CZ for being our guest!
Cozy in the Cold Valentine Doves
Hi friends! Heather Hoffman here today to share a fun wintry valentine style card – since it’s usually pretty cold still in February, I thought it would be fun to merge those two themes together!
The red hearts in the center of this mostly neutral card add such a warm cozy glow – I just love it! Those were die cut using Heart Shaker Shapes, and I love that they are super versatile and work great for a nesting shape like this. I used a mix of Lipstick and Schoolhouse cardstocks.
There was lots of die cutting on this card! I also die cut Resting Dove pair, using white cardstock, and a tiny bit of black and Creamsicle, as well as Green Apple for the leaves. I die cut several Splendid Snowflakes from white cardstock to layer around as well.
I used Cream cardstock for my cardbase, and layered everything with foam adhesive and liquid glue for lots of varying dimension. I added the perfect sentiment from Cozy in the Cold stamp and die set, and then added a heavy sprinkle of Dazzling Clear Gems to make sure it was plenty sparkly!
This card is so dreamy and sweet – and has the perfect romantic and cozy feeling as well!
Is it usually cold where you are for Valentine’s Day? Or would you prefer to make a card that is more warm and summery?
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Thanks so much for stopping by!
Did You Know? January 2026 Edition: Let’s Get Organized!
Happy New Year!! Hello crafters, it’s Shari Carroll here with you! I have a new edition of our popular Did You Know series today! To kick off a new year, it’s all about organizing and cleaning!
Where I live, it’s cold outside and I certainly don’t want to go out there. This is a perfect time for me to take advantage of some of the amazing storage solutions from Simon Says Stamp.
I have a few tips to help you pull your supplies together with ways to store them.
7.25 x 9.5″ CLEAR STORAGE ENVELOPES
These large clear envelopes are super handy to store your Tim Holtz cling stamps and Simon Says Stamp coordinating dies together. They have a handy latch to keep any loose pieces from getting lost.
Another great use for these is to store your oversized Simon Says Stamp Nested dies. In 2025, we came out with a variety of shapes and sizes of to suit all your needs.
Tip: Use these envelopes to store your larger packages of Tim Holtz ephemera!
6.75 x 6.75″ CLEAR STORAGE SLEEVES
I love our monthly card kits especially with all the beautiful 6×6″ printed papers that come with them. I find that the 6.75×6.75″ Clear Storage sleeves are perfect for organizing my loose papers. There is a fold over flap at the top that you can tuck in to protect your papers from dust. They are crystal clear and show off all the beautiful colors of your papers.
Tips: These are also great for 6×6 stencils and cling stamps.
These are my go to storage sleeves for card fronts, sentiment strips, and now our EZ strips and dies. Once you’ve cut your EZ strips, there are a lot of tiny messages. The half-moon closure at the top will help to keep them sealed all together. The convenient A2 size is essential for card makers!
TIP: You can also use these for larger cover plate dies.
These heavy duty 9.5×12″ sleeves can hold about 20 sheets of heavyweight cardstock. They can be used with vertical or horizontal shelving storage without warping your papers. We were very specific to have the corners rounded so there are no sharp edges. I love them for the protection of my papers as well as keeping my colors together.
Tip: store your scraps and full sheets together in one sleeve.
I hope these tips have helped you learn a few tricks for your organizing… Thanks for tuning in today and spending some time with me!
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