If you haven’t heard it before, let us say it one more time: Brit + Co is our name, and approachable DIY is our game. We want to inspire professional makers and self-proclaimed “non-creatives” alike, so we’re all for partnering with brands with similar missions. That’s why we’re teaming up with Maker’s Mart by Spellbinders®, a company that makes DIY kits, die cut machines, die templates and tons more. Their products are designed to be super simple to use, but with unlimited possibilities of what you can make with them. Like us, Spellbinders® is all about inspiring creativity among their users, from amateur to expert.
Their latest product, the Prizm™, is made specifically for paper craft projects using die-cut templates. We gave Prizm™ to three B+C gals with different skill sets: Visual designer Marisa, DIYer Maddie and a brand planner/DIY rookie, Paige. We came up with SO many ideas — paper chandeliers, paper flower crowns and straw toppers, to name a few — and finally settled on three favorites to crank out (literally!). Scroll on to see how we made a paper cake topper, 3D wall art and a phone case insert using only paper, the Prizm™ die cutting machine and a few DIY supplies!
PAIGE: THE DIY ROOKIE
Meet Paige, B+C brand partnership planner and our resident bride-to-be! She’s been all a-flurry prepping for her wedding and plans on incorporating personal, handmade touches throughout — even though she’s a self-proclaimed “DIY Rookie.” Enter the DIY cake topper! I convinced Paige that it’s actually super easy to make, as the Prizm™ does all the paper cutting for her. Follow along to see how she made it :)
Paige and her fiancé, Jon, have a bucket list of activities to do together before getting married, and a hot air balloon ride is the *last* one on their list. To pay tribute to their last special date as just BF/GF, Paige opted for an adorable hot air balloon wedding cake topper.
Materials + Tools:
- Prizm™
- Die-D-Lites™ Flight 2 Etched Dies
- base plate
- cutting plate
- card stock, assorted colors
- fishing line
- wooden skewers
- scissors
- ruler
- awl (a thumbtack will also work)
Instructions:
1. Let’s start with balloons! Make your die template and cutting plate sandwich: Set down the white base plate, add the die template with cut ridges up, top with a piece of paper, then finish with the gray cutting plate. Carefully feed it through the Prizm™ using the hand crank.
2. Remove the die template from the piece of paper and discard the extra scraps. Make six hot air balloons total, in assorted colors.
3. Repeat step 1 with the cloud die template.
4. Measure the length of one paper hot air balloon, and mark the exact middle with your awl. Make a straight cut to this mark from the base of the balloon. Repeat this step with a second balloon, instead cutting from the top down. Cut the rest of your balloons with this same technique. Then slide two balloons together so that they sit criss-cross to one another.
5. Take apart your criss-cross balloon. Make two small holes at the top of one of the balloons, then weave the two balloons back together. Make a small hole on one side of the second balloon so that you have three holes total. Repeat this with your other balloons.
6. Make two small holes at the top of each cloud.
7. Weave the criss-crossed hot air balloons and clouds together with fishing line.
8. Tie each end of the fishing line to a wooden skewer, then trim the excess line. If desired, you can add a dab of hot glue to seal the knot in place.
9. Top that cake!
Let’s start with balloons! Make your die template and cutting plate sandwich: Set down the white base plate, add the die template with cut ridges up, top with a piece of paper, then finish with the gray cutting plate. Carefully feed it through the Prizm™ using the hand crank.
Remove the die template from the piece of paper and discard the extra scraps. Make six hot air balloons total, in assorted colors.
Make some li’l white clouds in the same manner using the cloud die template.
Measure the length of one paper hot air balloon, and mark the exact middle with your awl. Make a straight cut to this mark from the base of the balloon. Repeat this step with a second balloon, instead cutting from the top down. Cut the rest of your balloons with this same technique.
Then slide the two balloons together so that they sit crisscross to one another.
Take apart your crisscross balloon. Make two small holes at the top of one of the balloons, then weave the two balloons back together. Make a small hole on ONE side of the second balloon so that you have three holes total. Repeat this with your other balloons.
Make two small holes at the top of each cloud.
Weave the crisscrossed hot air balloons and clouds together with fishing line, then tie each end of the fishing line to a wooden skewer and trim excess line. If desired, you can add a dab of hot glue to seal the knot in place.
Voila! A sweet, sentimental cake topper for Paige and Jon’s big day.
MARISA: THE VISUAL DESIGNER
Onto Marisa’s masterpiece! She’s a visual designer at B+C, so you can thank her for a bunch of our adorable Instagram illustrations, rad coloring page printables and *tons* more design goodies throughout brit.co. Marisa chose to make 3D wall art with paper flower die templates. Ch-ch-check it out!
Marisa will be the first to tell you how *obsessed* she was with the Prizm™. These two really vibed! Making these flowers has become her favorite way to wind down the day, as well as her go-to midday creative break.
Materials + Tools:
- Prizm™
- 4 Spellbinders® Create A Flower Etched Dies
- base plate
- cutting plate
- paper, assorted colors
- tacky glue
- wood board
- pen
- needle or pin
Instructions:
1. Start with the petals die template. Make a sandwich — base plate, die template (ridges up!), paper, then cutting plate — then feed it through the Prizm™. Use a needle to remove the petals from the template.
2. Repeat step 1 with the leaves and disc flower die templates.
3. Put together each flower. Layer one by one and glue in place, then let it dry. Lightly bend each petal for a 3D effect, then glue each flower layer together. Add the disc flower and leaves and set it aside to dry again.
4. Repeat these steps with other types of flowers.
5. Draw flower stems onto your wood board using a black pen.
6. Glue the paper flowers onto the wood board, and let dry. You’re done!
Psst — each flower die template set comes with a set of instructions for building your flowers.
Start with the petals die template. Make a sandwich — base plate, die template (ridges up!), paper, then cutting plate — then feed it through the Prizm™. Use a needle to remove the petals from the template.
Repeat these steps with the leaves and disc flower die templates.
Now that’s our kinda math ;)
Put together each flower layer one by one and glue in place, then let it dry. Lightly bend each petal for a 3D effect, then glue each flower layer together. Add the disc flower and leaves and set it aside to dry again.
Repeat these steps with other types of flowers.
Draw flower stems onto your wood board using a black pen.
Glue the paper flowers onto the wood board, and let dry. You’re done!
MADDIE: THE DIY’ER
My turn! As a veteran DIYer, I was a little overwhelmed with the sheer *amount* of things I could make with the Prizm™. In the end, I decided to make something I can never have too many of: phone case inserts! I love making these out of paper and pairing with a clear phone case to give my iPhone a mini facelift.
With the Prizm™ at my disposal, I managed to whip out three adorable inserts in no time. Keep reading to see how I made my favorite one!
Materials + Tools:
- Prizm™
- Die D-Lites™ Pretty Petals C Etched Dies
- base plate
- cutting plate
- card stock, assorted colors
- clear phone case
- cutting mat
- glue
- utility knife
- pencil
- needle or pin
Instructions:
1. Trace the phone case shape onto a piece of colorful card stock. (Don’t forget the camera hole!) Carefully cut the case out using a utility knife.
2. Make a die and cutting plate sandwich — base plate, die cut template (ridges up!), paper, then cutting plate — and run it through the Prizm™.
3. Use a pin or needle to remove the paper from the die template. Repeat these steps until you have a ton of pieces to work with.
4. Carefully glue the paper pieces to the phone case shape in whichever pattern you like. I went with a ’70s floral vibe. Trim the edges if necessary once the glue has dried.
5. Pop the paper insert into the back of your case, and you’re done!
Trace the phone case shape onto a piece of colorful card stock. (Don’t forget the camera hole!) Carefully cut the case out using a utility knife.
Make a sandwich — base plate, die template (ridges up!), paper, then cutting plate — and run it through the Prizm™.
Use a pin or needle to remove the paper from the die template. Repeat these steps until you have a ton of pieces to work with.
Carefully glue the paper pieces to the phone case shape in whichever pattern you like. I went with a ’70s floral vibe. Trim the edges if necessary once the glue has dried.
Pop the paper insert into the back of your case, and you’re done!
Wham, bam, thank you, ma’am!
BONUS! PLATINUM™ 6 LUGGAGE TAG
If we thought the Prizm™ inspired an overwhelming amount of ideas, you should have seen us when we got our hands on the Spellbinders® Platinum™ 6 Machine. This puppy cuts through *so* many materials, including leather, cork, thin wood and felt. The options are ACTUALLY endless.
To dip my toes in the water, I decided to make a simple leather luggage tag.
Materials + Tools:
- Spellbinders® Platinum™ 6
- 2 clear cutting plates
- Tag You’re It Contour™ Steel Rule Die
- leather
- alphabet stamps for leather
- stamp hammer
- fabric scissors
Instructions:
- Make a sandwich — a clear cutting plate, the steel rule die (placing the blade side up), leather, then the second clear cutting plate — and carefully crank it through the Platinum™ 6. Remove the leather from the steel rule die.
- Cut a small, thin string of leather from your piece of scrap, then tie this string through the hole of your tag.
- Use the leather alphabet stamps to write a name or a cute li’l saying.
- Secure it to your luggage and call it a day!
Make a sandwich — a clear cutting plate, the steel rule die (placing the blade side up), leather, then the second clear cutting plate — and carefully crank it through the Platinum™ 6. Remove the leather from the steel rule die.
Cut a small, thin string of leather from your piece of scrap, then tie this string through the hole of your tag.
Use the leather alphabet stamps to write a name or cute li’l saying.
Secure it to your luggage and call it a day!
There you have it: four DIYs to *literally* crank out with your Spellbinders® Machines. Happy crafting!
Psst! We’re excited to announce that Maker’s Mart now offers these projects as kits! How cool is that? Check them out here.
Working on papercraft? We want to see what you’re making! Share photos with the hashtag #iamcreative on Instagram.
DIY + Production: Maddie Bachelder, Paige Sager, Marisa Kumtong
Photography: Brittany Griffin
