Today's post is a bit of a stroll down memory lane, and it comes at a really fitting moment. Sizzix — the company that's been part of my papercrafting journey since I first started scrapbooking — is celebrating their 25th birthday this month, and I couldn't be more happy to be part of it.

It's got me thinking about just how long I've been enjoying this hobby, and how much both I and the industry have changed over 25 years. Truth be told, I started scrapbooking a few years before Sizzix came along, but they've been with me for most of the ride.

I still remember my very first die cutting machine — the original red Sizzix machine with the pull-lever that pushed straight down to cut through the dies. Affectionately known as "Big Red" back in the day, I actually won mine at a scrapbook crop, and I fondly recall using it with Sizzix alphabet dies to cut out titles for my scrapbook pages. Whether I've been using a die cutting machine, punches, or an electronic cutting machine since then, die cutting has always been one of my favorite ways to create and embellish my projects — and I think a lot of that traces back to that original Sizzix machine.

Fast forward to today, and I've been a Tim Holtz Maker with Sizzix since 2020 and a Creative Team Member since 2023. Who would have thought, all those years ago, that I'd still love paper crafting and die cutting this much — or that I'd still be connected to this company after so many years?

Over the years this hobby has given me so much more than scrapbook pages and finished cards — it's given me a creative outlet, a way to work with my hands, and a community of people who feel like friends. There's something about the process itself — cutting, layering, building something from a blank piece of paper — that still brings me so much joy, all these years later.

That's exactly why celebrations like this one mean so much to me.

About the Collection

To celebrate this milestone, each of the Sizzix Licensed Designers created a brand new celebration themed die, stamp, stencil set or embossing folder. This release brings together designs from Tim Holtz, 49 and Market, Eileen Hull, Stacey Park, Shelly Kim, Catherine Pooler, Willow Wolfe, Vicki Boutin, and Seth Apter.

There's Willow Wolfe's Birthday Blooms stamp set with its beautiful hummingbird and floral wreath designs, Catherine Pooler's Let's Eat Cake dies and stencils, and Eileen Hull's Party Time embossing folder that's perfect for quick, textured backgrounds like the one I used on my card and of course Tim Holtz's Celebration Steamers die set that I'm using for this project. Whatever your style, there's something in this collection to celebrate with.

The Card

For the focal point on my card, I used the Tim Holtz Gertrude Colorize die in the larger original size. I die cut all of the layers from Distress Watercolor Cardstock. I then ink blended the various layers, working from lighter tones into deeper shadows and details. Walnut Stain, Vintage Photo and Ground Espresso gave her those darker patches, Pumice Stone and Antique Linen softened things out, Wild Honey added warmth, and a bit of Black Soot and Spun Sugar finished off the fine details and her ears.

The background is created by embossing a piece of Distress Watercolor cardstock using the Tim Holtz Numbered Large A5 Embossing Folder. I then added splatters using Distress Ink in Saltwater Taffy, Speckled Egg, and Dried Marigold.

To add to the birthday scene, the streamers are die cut from Distress Watercolor cardstock using the new Tim Holtz Celebration Streamers die set. I ink blended them using the same three Distress Ink colors that I used on for the background splatters. I used a heavy hand for the darker shadow areas and a light blend over the highlight sections. To give Gertrude some birthday flair, I added the party hat from the Colorize Large Accessories set, and those little glasses just give her so much personality. The presents underneath her are cut from Distress Watercolor cardstock using the Tim Holtz Santa's Helper die set and ink blended to coordinate with the rest of the card.

I hope this card inspires you to check out the new Colorize dies and the rest of the Sizzix 25th Birthday Release! If you give any of these new products a try, I'd love to see what you create. Feel free to share your projects with me on Instagram or in the comments.

Supplies

Below you will find links to the supplies I used to create these cards. When you shop through these links—whether you purchase that exact item or something else entirely—you're supporting me at no extra cost to you. The commission I receive helps me cover the costs of my blog and other expenses, and allows me to continue providing you with FREE inspiration and tutorials. If you want to learn more, you can see my full affiliate and product disclosure statement here. Thank you so much for your love and support!

The best cards are the ones that feel made for someone, and that's exactly what I had in mind when I created this Father's Day card. My stepdad is a private pilot, so the travel theme, the airplanes, and the vintage ticket all came together with him in mind. I used the Tim Holtz Vault World Traveler die set for those little airplane accents, and Theodore just happened to be the perfect passenger.

Meet Theodore

If you haven't met Theodore yet, he's part of the Tim Holtz Sizzix Colorize collection — and he is absolutely the most charming bear in a bow tie you'll ever put on a card. For this project, I cut him from pre-colored cardstock rather than building custom color with inks or paint, which makes the process so much faster while still giving you that gorgeous layered Colorize look.

The Card

The background has a lot going on in the best possible way — it's layered, textured, and has that vintage travel feel that I just love. I used the Honey Bee Stamps Aviator stamp along with Tim Holtz Numeric and Mini Set 11 stencils to build up the background, and the technique I used to pull it all together is one I taught in my Steampunk Vibes class. The color palette leans into those warm, earthy tones with hints of teal and blue — perfect for a masculine card without feeling flat or boring.

The sentiment is a combination of the Tim Holtz Handwritten Celebrate die set for the script "happy" and a stamp from the Scrapbook.com Celebrate Expressions set for the "Father's Day" label strip. The vintage ticket in the background is from the Tim Holtz Ticket Booth stamp set, which adds that perfect touch of worn, travel-worn charm.

If you love the background technique and want to learn it yourself, it's part of my Steampunk Vibes class — and right now, my email and newsletter subscribers can use the code BEARHUG to get $5 off. (This coupon code is good now through June 19th, 2026). 

Head over to my classes page at julianamichaels.podia.com/pretty-grunge-steampunk-vibes to check it out!

I'd love to know — do you make cards with specific people in mind, or do you tend to make a design and then decide who it's for? Leave a comment below and let me know!

Supplies

Below you will find links to the supplies I used to create these cards. When you shop through these links—whether you purchase that exact item or something else entirely—you're supporting me at no extra cost to you. The commission I receive helps me cover the costs of my blog and other expenses, and allows me to continue providing you with FREE inspiration and tutorials. If you want to learn more, you can see my full affiliate and product disclosure statement here. Thank you so much for your love and support!

If the Halloween tag I shared earlier this week had you excited about the new Sizzix Colorize + Accessories collection, just wait until you see this one! Meet Harrison the lion — and he is dressed to the nines and ready for Christmas!

This project was also featured in Tim's live release party on YouTube, so if you caught the live you may have already spotted him! If you missed it, the replay is up on Tim's channel and I cannot recommend it enough. Seeing all of the inspiration from the designers in one place is so much fun, and this collection truly lends itself to so many creative possibilities. The Mini Colorize characters, the re-released originals, and the Accessories dies are such a brilliant combination — you really can create something unique for every season and occasion.

Harrison is wearing his best top hat with a sprig of holly and a dapper bow tie, surrounded by Christmas gifts and that gorgeous pine trim along the bottom. I used Christmas themed ephemera for the background to give it that warm, vintage holiday feel. Just like with my Halloween tag, I colored all of the die cut pieces with Distress Paints and I cannot imagine going back to anything else. The paint holds up so beautifully during assembly — no worrying about smudging or smearing while you're layering everything together.

The Distress Paint colors I used for Harrison are: Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap, Brushed Corduroy, Gathered Twigs, Walnut Stain and Black Soot.

The Distress Paint colors I used for the presents and the hat trim are: Lumberjack Plaid, Peeled Paint and Rustic Wilderness.

This is also made on a Tim Holtz Etc Tag, so just like Winifred's Halloween tag, Harrison is sturdy enough to display as a home decor piece all through the Christmas season. I am already thinking about where to put him! And this size is even small enough that this could easily be turned into a Christmas ornament by adding a bit of ribbon or twine!

I'd love to know — are you planning to create with this collection? Which character is calling your name? Let me know in the comments!

Supplies

Below you will find links to the supplies I used to create this project. When you shop through these links—whether you purchase that exact item or something else entirely—you're supporting me at no extra cost to you. The commission I receive helps me cover the costs of my blog and other expenses, and allows me to continue providing you with FREE inspiration and tutorials. If you want to learn more, you can see my full affiliate and product disclosure statement here. Thank you so much for your love and support!

If you love Halloween as much as I do, this one is for you! I am so excited to share this mixed media Halloween tag I created using the brand new Sizzix Colorize + Accessories collection from Tim Holtz — and this project was actually featured in Tim's live release party on YouTube!

If you missed the live, you can head over to his channel and watch the replay — the inspiration was absolutely incredible and so worth your time. This release brought back the beloved Colorize animal characters in their original size AND in a smaller Mini size, perfect for tags, cards, and smaller projects, plus two new Accessories die sets in both large and small sizes. The accessories are a total game changer — hats, scarves, masks, party hats, witch hats, and so much more — giving you endless ways to customize these characters for any season or occasion. Halloween? Christmas? Birthdays? You can dress them for anything!

For my project I chose the Mini Winifred the zebra, and of course she had to be dressed for Halloween. I used the Winifred Mini Colorize die along with the Accessories dies to give her a witch hat, a mask, and a trick-or-treat bucket. She is absolutely perfect for the season!

The background was created using the Tim Holtz Moon Mask with Distress Oxide inks — I love how the moody nighttime sky came together with that gorgeous full moon. For coloring the die cut pieces, I reached for my Distress Paints instead of my usual Distress Inks. I am so glad I did! The paint is much more durable during assembly — no worrying about wet fingers, inky hands, or liquid adhesive messing up your beautifully colored pieces while you're layering everything together. It's a trick I'll be using from now on when I want to custom color my die cuts!

I finished the tag off with Tim Holtz ephemera, some stitching, trim along the bottom, the "Just a Bunch of Hocus Pocus" sentiment, and the clip at the top. This is made on a Tim Holtz Etc Tag which is a sturdy board material, so this piece works beautifully as a home decor item — perfect for displaying all through the Halloween season!

I'd love to know — did you watch Tim's live release? Which character are you most excited to create with? Let me know in the comments!

Supplies

Below you will find links to the supplies I used to create this project. When you shop through these links—whether you purchase that exact item or something else entirely—you're supporting me at no extra cost to you. The commission I receive helps me cover the costs of my blog and other expenses, and allows me to continue providing you with FREE inspiration and tutorials. If you want to learn more, you can see my full affiliate and product disclosure statement here: https://www.17turtles.com/p/affiliate-and-product-disclosure.html. Thank you so much for your love and support!

If you've been crafting for a while, you probably have a collection of dies that you use the same way every single time. Today I want to challenge that! I'm sharing a mixed media card made with the latest Seth Apter Sizzix release, and my favorite part of this project is how I pushed the dies beyond their intended use. Sometimes the most interesting results come from asking "what else can this do?"

Think Outside the Die

The Seth Apter Mini Pages die set is designed to create a folded mini book or page, but here I used it purely as a design element — no folding required. I layered it with the dotted die from the Seth Apter Paper Cutz 2 die set, positioning it to cut the design the full length of the Mini Pages die cut. The result is a beautifully detailed panel that looks intentional and intricate, and nobody would ever guess it started as a booklet die!

The other technique I want to highlight is using the Seth Apter Magic Mesh embossing folder on a die cut rather than on flat cardstock. I embossed the butterfly after die cutting it from the Tim Holtz Tattered Butterflies die set, and the mesh texture on those irregular butterfly edges is just chef's kiss. It adds so much depth and visual interest to the focal element.

How to Make This Card

Start with a piece of white cardstock cut to 4.5 x 6.25 inches and ink the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.

Cut a piece of blue kraft stock or cardstock to 2.75 x 6 inches. Stamp across the surface using the dotted stamp from the Seth Apter Viewfinder Stamp and Die Set with Twilight Versafine Clair Ink, or a slightly darker ink than your cardstock color. If you're using kraft stock, lightly sand the edges with fine grit sandpaper or a Ranger Sanding Disk. If you're using regular cardstock, ink the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. Adhere this to the card front, but leave the right-hand side unattached so you can tuck the circle die cuts underneath later.

Cut circles from black kraft stock using the Seth Apter Twisters Die Set and lightly sand the edges with fine grit sandpaper or a Ranger Sanding Disk. Tuck these under the right side of the blue panel and adhere in place.

Now for the Mini Pages panel. Die cut a piece of Distress Watercolor Cardstock using the Seth Apter Mini Pages die set. Then take the dotted die from the Seth Apter Paper Cutz 2 die set and position it to cut the design across the full length of the Mini Pages die cut — you're using it as a design element here, not as a folded booklet. Use a baby wipe to apply Distress Paint in Salvaged Patina across the surface. Ink the edges and here and there over the surface with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. Adhere this layer to the card.

Next, take one of the outer dies from the Paper Cutz 2 set and cut another piece of Distress Watercolor Cardstock. Spray with Old Paper Distress Spray Stain and a little water, then dry with a heat tool. Stamp the splatter image from the Seth Apter Viewfinder Stamp and Die Set using Walnut Stain Distress Ink. Ink the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink and adhere to the card with double-sided foam tape for dimension.

For the butterfly, die cut a piece of Distress Watercolor Cardstock using the larger butterfly from the Tim Holtz Tattered Butterflies die set. Emboss it using the Seth Apter Magic Mesh embossing folder — this is where the magic happens, because that mesh texture on the shaped butterfly edges is incredible. Apply Distress Paint in Salvaged Patina and Uncharted Mariner using a baby wipe. Once dry, add Distress Paint in Peeled Paint here and there. When the paint is fully dry, apply Sizzix Luster Wax in Rose Gold to the raised embossed design using your finger. For the butterfly body, cut a piece of black kraft stock using a cross image from the Seth Apter Roundabouts Die Set and lightly sand the edges. Adhere both the body and the butterfly to the card with double-sided foam tape for dimension.

I tucked a few vintage postage stamps here and there for an extra pop of color and visual interest. Mine happen to be Queen Juliana stamps sent to me by my friend Saskia from the Netherlands — they're quite special to me, and yes, you can probably guess why! If you don't have vintage stamps, the Tim Holtz Postmarked Sticker Book is a great alternative and would give you a similar look.

The final touch is the sentiment, a sticker from the Minty Art Journal Essentials Paper Stickers in Black. "Be the artist of your own life" felt like the perfect note to end on for a card built around creative experimentation.

I hope this card inspires you to look at your die collection with fresh eyes! I'd love to know — have you ever used a die in an unexpected way? Tell me about it in the comments!

Happy crafting!
~ Juliana

Supplies

Below you will find links to the supplies I used to create this card. When you shop through these links—whether you purchase that exact item or something else entirely—you're supporting me at no extra cost to you. The commission I receive helps me cover the costs of my blog and other expenses, and allows me to continue providing you with FREE inspiration and tutorials. If you want to learn more, you can see my full affiliate and product disclosure statement here: https://www.17turtles.com/p/affiliate-and-product-disclosure.html. Thank you so much for your love and support!