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October 8, 2025
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4 Adorable Steamboat Willie Cards You Can Make Today
Get ready to bring some classic Disney magic to your cardmaking with the delightful Say Cheese Classic Mouse Collection from Spellbinders! These charming Steamboat Willie-inspired cards will have you saying “Golly!” as you create four absolutely adorable mouse cards that are perfect for any occasion.
The Say Cheese Classic Mouse Collection is a special collaboration with Simple Stories that brings our beloved mouse friends to life in the most enchanting way. This playful collection includes everything you need to create gorgeous icons of your favorite mouse couple, complete with all their accessories and sentiment frames. Whether you’re crafting cards or scrapbook pages, this collection is designed to bring smiles and spark creativity.
Introducing the Say Cheese Classic Mouse Collection
This magical collection features the Steamboat Willie Duo Etched Dies as the star of the show, along with coordinating Frame & Sentiments Etched Dies that help anchor your designs beautifully. The collection also includes borders, frames, flags, and alphabets that work together seamlessly to create cohesive, professional-looking projects.
What makes this collection truly special is how it captures the whimsy and nostalgia of classic animation while providing modern crafters with versatile tools for contemporary projects. The dies cut cleanly and precisely, making it easy to create multiple cards or elements for larger projects.
The Mouse Cards: Traditional Meets Modern
We’ll be creating four delightful cards that showcase the versatility of this collection. The first two cards celebrate the classic primary color palette that’s synonymous with our favorite mouse characters, while the second pair explores a fresh, modern color scheme that gives these timeless characters a contemporary twist.
Each card demonstrates different techniques and die combinations, showing you just how much creative potential this collection holds. From simple, clean designs to more elaborate layered creations, these projects will inspire you to explore all the possibilities.
Traditional Primary Colors: Classic Charm
The “Well Hello There” Mouse Card
This charming card showcases the classic appeal of our beloved mouse duo in their traditional primary colors. The design features a clean, welcoming layout that’s perfect for greetings, thank you notes, or just spreading a little joy.
How to Make the Well Hello There Mouse Card:
Start by cutting your mouse characters using the Steamboat Willie Duo die set. Choose traditional red, yellow, and black cardstock for that authentic vintage feel. The beauty of these dies is how they capture every detail of the classic characters while remaining simple enough for crafters of all skill levels.
Next, create your sentiment frame using the Frame & Sentiments die set. This frame will serve as the perfect backdrop for your greeting, giving your card a polished, professional appearance. The frame dies in this collection are designed to complement the mouse characters perfectly, creating a cohesive look that’s both timeless and fresh.
Add visual interest with elements from the Flags and Banners die set. These decorative elements help balance your composition and add that extra touch of whimsy that makes these cards so special. Layer your elements thoughtfully, using foam adhesive to create dimension and visual depth.
To finish off the card create a quick, fun background right on the front of a white A2 size (4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″) card base with a fun stencil and the blue that is already on your blending brush. If you’re just starting out you’ll find help on creating the card base at How to Make a Card Base.
Supply List for the Well Hello There Mouse Card:
The “HBD2U” Mouse Card
This birthday-themed card brings celebratory energy to your cardmaking with a fun, festive design that’s perfect for mouse-loving friends and family members of all ages.
Creating Your HBD2U Mouse Card:
Begin with your mouse characters cut from the Steamboat Willie Duo dies, again using those classic primary colors that everyone recognizes and loves. The key to this design is balancing the characters with the lettering elements to create a harmonious composition.
Use the Say Cheese Classic Mouse Alphabet dies to spell out your birthday message. These alphabet dies are perfectly sized to work with the mouse characters, and their playful style complements the overall vintage aesthetic. Take your time positioning the letters—proper spacing makes all the difference in achieving that professional look.
The Classic Mouse Numbers die set adds the perfect finishing touch, allowing you to customize the card for specific ages or simply add decorative numerical elements. These numbers share the same charming style as the alphabet, ensuring your entire message feels cohesive and intentional.
Just like the first card you can create a simple background with a punch by stenciling a fun design like a swash of stars with shiny metallic ink.
Supply List for the HBD2U Mouse Card:
A Fresh New Twist: Modern Color Palettes
The “Golly” Mouse Card
This card demonstrates how versatile the Say Cheese Classic Mouse Collection can be when you step outside the traditional color palette. By using unexpected colors, you create a fresh, contemporary look while maintaining the charm of the classic characters.
How to Make the Golly Mouse Card:
Choose a modern color palette that speaks to you—perhaps soft pastels, bold jewel tones, or even a monochromatic scheme. The Steamboat Willie Duo dies work beautifully in any color combination, proving that these classic characters can adapt to any style preference.
Create your background using elements from the Classic Mouse Borders die set. These borders add structure and visual interest to your card while maintaining the mouse theme throughout your design. The borders can be used as frames, decorative elements, or even as subtle background texture.
The Frame & Sentiments dies come into play again here, but this time experiment with different color combinations. Try cutting the frame in a contrasting color to your characters, or use tone-on-tone colors for a more subtle, sophisticated look.
Supply List for the Golly Mouse Card:
The “Best Day Ever” Mouse Card
This uplifting card celebrates life’s special moments with an optimistic message and cheerful design that’s sure to brighten anyone’s day.
Creating Your Best Day Ever Mouse Card:
Start with your mouse characters in your chosen modern color palette. Consider how different colors can convey different emotions—soft blues and greens for tranquility, bright oranges and pinks for energy, or rich purples and teals for sophistication.
The Flags and Banners die set really shines in this design, creating a festive, celebratory atmosphere that perfectly complements the “Best Day Ever” sentiment. These elements can be layered and arranged in countless ways, allowing you to create a truly unique composition every time.
Emboss a pretty design on a piece of vellum die-cut with a scalloped edge to provide a soft, feminine background for your focal point.
Pay attention to the balance between your characters and decorative elements. The goal is to create a design that feels intentional and harmonious, where each element supports the others rather than competing for attention.
Supply List for the Best Day Ever Mouse Card:
Tips for Success with the Say Cheese Collection
Working with intricate dies like these requires a few special techniques to ensure perfect results every time. First, always use a metal-cutting plate with your die-cutting machine to ensure clean, precise cuts. Take your time when removing the cut pieces from the dies—small details can be delicate, and patience will reward you with perfect results.
When layering your elements, plan your composition before adhering anything permanently. Arrange all your pieces on your card base, make adjustments as needed, and then secure everything in place. This approach prevents mistakes and ensures your final card looks exactly as you envisioned.
Consider creating multiple cards at once when you have your supplies out. These designs work beautifully as a coordinated set, and having several cards ready for different occasions is always helpful.
Bringing Your Cards to Life
The magic of these cards lies not just in their adorable subjects, but in the joy they bring to both the creator and the recipient. Each card tells a story and carries with it the warmth of handmade creativity. The classic characters evoke nostalgia and happiness, while the modern color interpretations show how timeless designs can be refreshed for contemporary tastes.
Remember that cardmaking is about more than just following instructions—it’s about expressing your creativity and sharing joy with others. Feel free to adapt these designs to suit your personal style or the preferences of your intended recipient. The Say Cheese Classic Mouse Collection provides the perfect foundation for countless creative interpretations.
Ready to Start Your Mouse Card Adventure?
These four delightful cards are just the beginning of what’s possible with the Say Cheese Classic Mouse Collection. Each die set in the collection works beautifully on its own and even better when combined with others, giving you endless creative possibilities.
The collection captures the magic of classic animation while providing modern crafters with the tools they need to create professional-looking projects. Whether you’re making cards for birthdays, holidays, or just because, these charming mouse characters are sure to bring smiles to faces and warmth to hearts.
Visit Spellbinders today to explore the complete Say Cheese Classic Mouse Collection and start creating your own magical mouse cards. With such versatile and delightful products at your fingertips, you’ll find yourself reaching for these dies again and again. Happy crafting!
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ABOUT AUTHOR
Teri Duncan
Teri has over 30 years of experience as a cardmaker. Her work has appeared in Spellbinders Paper Arts’ blog as well as with some of their products and on Altenew’s blog. Outside of work, she enjoys gardening, stained glass, and teaching. She and her husband live in Crystal River, Florida with their three dogs and a cat.
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