SPOILERS! 13 Days of Craft-o-Ween Day 5. Step by Step Tutorial

SPOILER ALERT: Welcome the 13 Days of Craftoween 2025 Advent Calendar — and we can’t wait to show you what’s inside! If you love spooky season as much as we do, you’re in for a real treat (no tricks here). Whether you’re into cute and quirky or dark and dramatic, the 13 Days of Craftoween is packed with creative potential. Each day unveils a new mini crafting treasure designed to help you conjure up cards and more — all perfect for October makes and haunted happenings.

Ready to peek behind Door 5? Today we’re featuring a project by Heejung Hunsberger, who’s bringing the boo-tiful magic! Let the hauntingly creative countdown begin!

Catch up on all the spooky surprises and creative inspiration from the rest of the countdown: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4 From cute critters to haunted houses, each reveal is packed with frightfully fun inspiration you won't want to miss!

Hello, crafty friends, I'm thrilled to return as a guest designer on the Spellbinders blog, sharing a step-by-step tutorial for a festive card using the Day 5 dies from the 13 Days of Craft-o-ween 2025 Advent Calendar. This set features 13 Halloween-themed die sets, sentiment stamps, and sequin sets in purple, black, and orange for festive crafting. The tutorial showcases these dies' versatility, including an interactive swinging spider element.

If you'd like to get to know me better, visit my blog or follow me on Instagram. Additionally, I have a YouTube channel where I regularly post video tutorials.

Day 5 - Creep Spider Die

Step 1: Die-cut the Spider Elements and Arch Panel

Using the Day 5 dies and a die-cutting machine, cut out the various components of the spider. Die-cut the main spider body from black glitter cardstock, the top hat from Violet and Peridot cardstock, and the spider's legs from black glitter cardstock. Also, die-cut the spider's eyes from Peridot cardstock. Trim the Raven cardstock to 3 3/4 inches by 5 inches. Use the arch die from the Day 5 set to die-cut an arch opening in this black panel. When die-cutting the arch, ensure there's sufficient space below the arch opening to accommodate your sentiment stamp.

Step 2: White Embossed Sentiments

Below the arch opening, stamp your desired sentiment (e.g., "CREEPIN' IT REAL this Halloween") using Versamark ink. Apply white embossing powder over the stamped image, tap off any excess, and then use a heat tool to emboss the sentiment.

Step 3: Create the Card Base

Trim the carrot cardstock to the desired card base size (4.25 x 5.5 inches). Emboss it using the Cascading Streamers Embossing folder to create a decorative background, and attach the embossed panel to the card base.

Step 4: Add shading and assemble the Spider

Optionally, use a blending brush to add subtle shading to the die-cut top hat pieces using purple and green ink for more dimension. Then, adhere the peridot and violet pieces to form the top hat, and attach the top hat to the black spider body. Glue the eyes onto the spider's body. For added detail, use a white gel pen to place small dots inside the spider's eyes.

Step 5: Assemble the Card Elements and Embellish

Adhere the black arch panel (from Step 2) to the embossed Carrot background panel (from Step 3), positioning it behind the arch cut-out on the black panel. To create the swinging spider, attach a piece of black thread to the back of the assembled spider. Secure the other end of the thread to the top inside edge of the arch opening, allowing the spider to swing freely when the card is moved. Finally, add purple sequins around the spider for an extra touch of sparkle and embellishment. This tutorial aims to be helpful and inspire your Halloween crafting! Look for more tutorials to spark your creativity. Happy crafting! Heejung