Spellbinders | Partial Die Cutting and What It Can Do For Your Cards. Video

Hi friends! Today, I’m diving into a die-cutting technique that’s simple but incredibly powerful: partial die cutting. If you’ve ever wondered how to stretch your dies beyond their original shapes, make custom card sizes, or even build something totally new — like a four-story apartment building — then this post is for you.

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What Is Partial Die Cutting?

Partial die cutting is exactly what it sounds like — you cut only part of your die. By controlling which area of the die is covered by your cutting plate, you can decide which sections will cut through and which won’t.

This technique gives you total creative freedom to:

• Extend your dies (make them taller, wider, or longer!)
• Create shaped card bases
• Alter designs for unique, never-before-seen looks

All you need is your favorite die cutting machine, your die, and a bit of imagination!

VIDEO TUTORIAL

Watch the video below or on my YouTube channel.

Extending the City Holiday Die

For this project, I used the City Holiday Dies from my City Holiday Collection. This die creates a three-story building — but with a little partial die-cutting trick, I turned it into a four-story storefront, perfect for a festive Christmas card!

To do this, I ran the die through my Platinum 6 only partway, leaving the top uncut. Then I shifted the die slightly up, realigned the windows, and ran it again — this time leaving the bottom uncut. The result? A perfectly extended building with added height and personality!

Once the building was done, I needed a roof to fit my custom-sized structure. Using the roof die, I once again relied on partial die cutting — trimming and extending the roof to match my taller building.

Now for the fun part — decorating! I used the Cocoa Wonderland Dies from the Wonderland Collection to transform my tall apartment into a festive Christmas storefront. Yes, you read that right — I used the mug and foam elements from that set as architectural accents! The mug became the grand entrance, and the foam sat atop the building as whimsical roof décor. I wanted my card to capture that magical feeling of walking past a beautifully decorated shop window during the holidays.

To finish, I added a BetterPress foiled background using the Sprinkled Confetti plate and built my card on a deep indigo base. The contrast between the pastel building and dark background created such a magical night-scene feel!

Try This Technique

Partial die cutting is one of those aha! techniques that can completely change how you see your dies. Once you try it, you’ll start spotting opportunities everywhere — taller trees, wider houses, longer borders, and so much more.

Have you tried partial die cutting before? Leave a comment below and let me know — yes or no — and tell me what die you’d love to try it with next!

SUPPLIES

I’m listing the products I used below. Click on the link to go directly to the product. Where available, I use compensated affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you so much for your support!

Spellbinders Cocoa Wonderland Etched Dies Shop at: SB USA | SB UK	Spellbinders City Holiday Etched Dies Shop at: SSS | SB USA | SB UK | PFS	Spellbinders Christmas Cheer Sentiments BetterPress Plate & Die Set Shop at: SSS | SB USA | SB UK | PFS	Spellbinders Sprinkled Confetti Press Plates from the Home for the Holidays Collection Shop at: SSS | SB USA | SB UK | PFS
Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foil System (Platinum) Shop at: SSS | SC | SB USA | SB UK | AMZ	Spellbinders Platinum 6 Machine With Universal Plate System Shop at: SSS | SB USA | SB UK | AMZ | PFS	Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foil 2 Rolls – Opaque Black & White Pack Shop at: SSS | SC | SB USA | SB UK	Spellbinders Gold Assortment Treasured Cardstock Shop at: SSS | SB USA | SB UK
Spellbinders Brushed White Cardstock Shop at: SC | SB USA | SB UK	Spellbinders Wild Berry ColorWheel Cardstock Shop at: SC | SB USA | SB UK	Spellbinders Indigo ColorWheel Cardstock Shop at: SC | SB USA | SB UK	Spellbinders Peridot ColorWheel Cardstock Shop at: SC | SB USA | SB UK
Spellbinders Chiffon ColorWheel Cardstock Shop at: SC | SB USA | SB UK	Spellbinders Dahlia ColorWheel Cardstock Shop at: SC | SB USA | SB UK	Spellbinders Tutu ColorWheel Cardstock Shop at: SC | SB USA | SB UK	Spellbinders Craft Stax Large Tray Set Shop at: SSS | SC | SB USA | SB UK
Spellbinders Craft Stax Medium Tray Set Shop at: SSS | SC | SB USA | SB UK	Spellbinders Craft Stax Combo Tray Set Shop at: SSS | SC | SB USA | SB UK	Craft Stax Magnetic Panels Combo Shop at: SSS | SC | SB USA | SB UK	Craft Stax Magnetic Panels Large Shop at: SSS | SC | SB USA | SB UK
Craft Stax Magnetic Panels Medium Shop at: SSS | SC | SB USA | SB UK	Spellbinders My Turn Comfort Grip Shop at: SB USA | SB UK	Glassboard Studio Super Strong Magnets Shop at: GBS	Glassboard Studio Glass Craft Mat – Code YANA15 Shop at: GBS