If you love tulips, windmills, and colorful landscapes, today’s card project is especially close to my heart. In this tutorial, I’m sharing a detailed look at the Windmills and Tulips Press & Foil Plate and Stencil Bundle from my Yana’s Tulips Collection with Spellbinders. This design was inspired by my travels to the Netherlands, where endless tulip fields and iconic windmills create some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.
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In the video below, I walk you through the process of creating a vibrant sunset scene using the press plate, layering stencils, ink blending, and colored pencils.
VIDEO TUTORIAL
Watch my video below or on YouTube:
My inspiration for this design came from multiple visits to the Netherlands while teaching and demonstrating at a wonderful crafting store there – Doeding. Each time I traveled, I made sure to spend a few extra days exploring the countryside. The colorful tulip fields, traditional windmills, and open skies left such a lasting impression on me that I knew I wanted to turn that landscape into a crafting product.
The result is the Windmills and Tulips Press & Foil Plate.
This design captures a classic Dutch scene with blooming tulip fields in the foreground, windmills in the distance, and a wide sky overhead. The finished image reminds me of a postcard you might send from a beautiful trip. It’s perfect for cards celebrating travel, friendship, encouragement, or simply sharing something beautiful.
Windmills and Tulips Press & Foil Plate Options
The plate can be used in two different ways:
- Foiling with the Glimmer Hot Foil System
- Pressing with the BetterPress Letterpress System
When foiled, the design has a gorgeous metallic shine. When pressed with ink, it gives you a crisp letterpress look. Both techniques produce stunning results, and the choice really comes down to your personal preference.
While the plate can certainly be used on its own, my vision for this product includes the coordinating stencil set. The stencils make it incredibly easy to add color to every element of the scene and bring the landscape to life.
Important note: the stencils are only available as part of the bundle with the plate and are not sold separately.
The stencil set includes six numbered layers designed for easy alignment and coloring.
Layered Stencil Details
Each stencil layer colors a specific part of the image, allowing you to build the scene step by step.
- Stencil Layer 1 | This layer adds color to the tulips and the windmill blades. I used a combination of pinks, oranges, and yellows to create multicolored tulip petals.
- Stencil Layer 2 | This layer adds detail to the windmills, tulip leaves, and the field area in the center of the design.
- Stencil Layer 3 | This layer fills the background areas behind the tulips and colors portions of the windmills.
- Stencil Layer 4 | This layer adds the tulip stems and the distant tree line along the horizon.
- Stencil Layer 5 | This layer colors the clouds and additional windmill details.
- Stencil Layer 6 | The final stencil colors the sky.
With these six layers, you can easily color every part of the scene. There is no blank space left in the design, which makes the finished image feel rich and complete.
Creating a Colorful Sunset Background
Most of the cards I originally made with this design featured bright daytime skies. For this project, I wanted to try something different and create a dramatic sunset.
To build the sky, I used a combination of purples, teals, yellows, and oranges with ink blending. The cloud stencil allows you to add soft color variations that mimic glowing sunset clouds.
The result is a vibrant sky full of movement and color, making the entire scene feel dynamic and lively.
Adding Extra Detail with Colored Pencils
After ink blending the tulips, I wanted to add more depth and variation to the petals. Because the stencil layers create flat color areas, colored pencils are a wonderful way to add shading and texture.
I used Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils to add small flick strokes on the petals. This technique adds dimension and helps each tulip stand out. Colored pencils also work well over ink-blended backgrounds because they sit on top of the ink rather than soaking into the paper like alcohol markers.
You can add as much or as little detail as you like. Even a few small strokes can dramatically enhance the finished image.
Turning the Panel into a Framed Card
The finished panel is designed for A2 cards (4.25 x 5.5 inches), but for this project, I wanted to create a larger framed design.
Here’s how I assembled the card:
- Card base: 5 x 7 top-folding card made from Spellbinders Saffron cardstock
- Panel: trimmed slightly to better fit the larger card size
- Frame: die cut from gold mirror cardstock
- Sentiment: “Your kindness makes the world blossom.”
To create a dimensional frame, I die cut the frame once from gold mirror cardstock and twice more from scrap cardstock. I glued the layers together and added foam adhesive to pop the frame above the ink-blended panel.
For the background, I used a textured embossing folder to add subtle interest behind the framed scene. The result looks like a small framed landscape painting on a card.
Final Thoughts
The Windmills and Tulips Press & Foil Plate was designed to capture the beauty of Dutch landscapes in a cardmaking format. Whether you create bright daytime skies or dramatic sunsets like this one, the layering stencils make it easy to experiment with color and build stunning scenes.
I love how versatile this design is — you can foil it, letterpress it, ink blend it, or add extra details with pencils and other coloring mediums.
If you enjoy scenic cardmaking, layered stencils, or products inspired by travel, I think you’ll have a lot of fun creating with this set.
Thanks so much for stopping by today. I can’t wait to see what you create with the Yana’s Tulips Collection.
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 Windmills and Tulips Press + Foil Plate by Yana Smakula Shop at: SSS | Other | SB USA | SB UK |
 Spellbinders Windmills and Tulips Press + Foil Plate and Stencil Bundle by Yana Smakula Shop at: SSS | Other | SB USA | SB UK |
 Spellbinders Bouquet of Hugs Sentiments Press + Foil Plate & Die Set by Yana Smakula Shop at: SSS | Other | SB USA | SB UK |
 Spellbinders Yana’s Tulips I Want It All! Bundle by Yana Smakula Shop at: SB USA | SB UK |
 Spellbinders Petite Tuft – 3D Embossing Folder of the Month Shop at: SB USA | SB UK |
 Simon Says Stamp A7 Frames Wafer Dies Shop at: SSS |
 Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foil System (Platinum) Shop at: SSS | SB USA | SB UK | AMZ | SC |
 Spellbinders Betterpress Letterpress System Shop at: SSS | Other | SB USA | SB UK | AMZ |
 Faber-Castell Polychromos Colored Pencils Shop at: SC |
 Faber-Castell Polychromos 12 Set Shop at: SSS | AMZ | SC |
 Faber-Castell Polychromos 24 Set Shop at: SSS | AMZ | SC |
 Faber-Castell Polychromos 36 Set Shop at: AMZ | SC |
 Faber-Castell Polychromos 60 Set Shop at: AMZ | SC |
 Faber-Castell Polychromos 120 Set Shop at: AMZ | SC |
 Spellbinders Saffron ColorWheel Cardstock Shop at: SSS | SB USA | SB UK | SC |
 Spellbinders Gold Assortment Treasured Cardstock Shop at: SSS | SB USA | SB UK | SC |
 Glassboard Studio Scrapbook Magnetic Glass Craft Mat Shop at: GBS |
 Glassboard Studio Super Strong Magnets Shop at: GBS |
Glassboard Studio Glass Craft Mat – Code YANA15 Shop at: GBS |
 Glassboardstudio Mega Strong Neodymium MegaPawn Magnets Shop at: GBS |
