Die Cut Cards

Today’s post was going to be just two cards, but then I made the third which was supposed to be for sharing in a post tomorrow, and it fit the theme so I decided to bring it forward a day. Die cutting is a great technique with lots of potential applications. Here I’m sharing three different cards that involve die cutting.

Card 1 – Hello Sakura

For my first card I started by creating a background directly on my card base. I used the Skylight stencil from Altenew, and ink blended with Soft Lilac and Lavender Fields, with the darkest colour at the centre, and the lightest on the outside.

Next I worked on my focal point, a flower made with Altenew’s Build-A-Flower: Sakura Blossom stamp and die set. I stamped the flower with Frosty Pink, Coral Berry and Ruby Red ink. then the leaf with Mountain Mist for the base layer, and Volcano Lake for the detail layer. Once it was all stamped I die cut the images with the coordinating dies and my Mini Blossom die cutting machine. This also die cut the stamen of the flower, which I hadn’t stamped as I initially thought I wanted them white. Once I’d layered it together though I didn’t like that, so I coloured it by pressing the Frosty Pink and Coral Berry inks onto it.

I played with the positioning of my flower and leaves on the card base, and then worked out where I wanted to position my sentiment. I chose the “hello” stamp from Build-A-Flower: Sakura Blossom and stamped with Deep Iris ink.

I lightly curled the petals of my flower around the handle of a paint brush, then used glue to adhere the flower and leaves into place. As the flower is only adhered at the very centre, I used Glossy Accents to make sure it would have a strong hold. As a final touch I added a dot of Nuvo Honeysuckle Jewel Drops into the very centre of my flower.

Challenges:

Altenew Inspiration Challenge – Inspiration Image (I was inspired by the colours)

Addicted to Stamps and More – Die Cuts and/or Stencils

Allsorts Challenge – Anything Goes

Krafty Chicks Challenge – Anything Goes

The House That Stamps Built – Stenciling

Uniko Challenge – Flowers

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Card 2 – Pink Thanks

Card two is actually the card I made first, not that it really matters which order they’re shared in! I started with a pink card base and some snippets of pink card. They’re very similar, but not the exact same shade. I trimmed some of the snippets to create four strips, each approximately half the height and a quarter of the width of my card base. I used direct to paper to add Frosty Pink ink to two of the strips to make the colour slightly different from the other strips. In the end it dried back to be barely noticeable, so I probably wouldn’t have needed to bother.

Next I took some of the offcuts of the pink card and die cut them with a heart die from Mama Elephant’s Lafayette Frame dies, run through my Mini Blossom die cutting machine. I cut a total of 16 hearts, eight in the base colour of the strips, and eight in the inked colour. I then adhered four hearts to each of my strips, putting the inked hearts on the plain strips, and the plain hearts on the inked strips. I then used double sided tape to adhere the strips to my card base, alternating between plain and inked.

For my sentiment strip I decided to bring in white, just to brighten up my monochromatic design. This was also a snippet of card, and I trimmed it a little so it would be the right size for my sentiment. I then stamped “thanks” from Mama Elephant’s Heartfelt Wishes with Coral Berry ink. I then adhered it over the top of my pink strips.

I spent quite a while playing around working out the finishing touches for the design. Initially I was planning to add a Coral Berry heart and little circles cut with the Lafayette Frame dies, but the heart seemed too small. I decided to look through my old box of previously die cut elements, and came across a slightly larger heart that seemed a good size. I added the Coral Berry onto the heart, then adhered it and the little circle elements onto the card.

I felt like the card still needed something, and decided to add some borders with Love From Lizi Black Glitter Pin Stripe Peel-Offs. Finally I used my Nuvo Aqua Shimmer brush pen to add some sparkle to all of my hearts.

Challenges:

Aud Sentiments Challenge – Anything Goes with a Sentiment

Crafter’s Castle – Anything Goes

Creatalicious Challenges – Anything Goes

Mama Elephant GDT Call – Anything Goes with Mama Elephant

Pixie’s Crafty Workshop – Snippets

Stick It Down – Sketch

The House That Stamps Built – Anything Goes

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Card 3 – Gift Shaker

For my final card I decided I wanted to make a shaker. I first stamped Hero Arts’ Present Background with MFT’s black hybrid ink onto some X-Press It Blending Card, then worked on colouring using my Spectrum Noir Illustrator markers. I kept my colour palette simple with teal, deep blue, and pink. I first went in with the lighter shade of each colour and just added flat colour, which let me work out where all the colours should be. I tried to space them relatively easily but also keep it looking a bit random. I first put all the teal areas, then the pink, and finally blue.

Teal presents – BT5, BT7

Pink presents – PP4, PP5

Blue presents – TB5, BGR4

Tags – GB2

I then went back in with the darker shade onto the left hand side of all the presents, and also below any areas that would have a cast shadow for example from lids or ribbons. I used the lighter colour to blend the shading out. Finally I used the same colours to colour the confetti between the presents.

With the colouring done I cut the panel down with the largest die from Mama Elephant’s Lafayette Frame dies. The image ended up being a bit off centre which is annoying, but I wasn’t about to redo it after all the time I’d put into it, so it’ll have to do! I kept both portions of the die cutting. I then cut four more of the frames from snippets of white card. I adhered one of the white frames to my card base, and added the inner portion from the present background into it. I then layered on the white frames one at a time until I had stacked them all.

Before adhering the present stamped frame I needed to turn it into a shaker window. I put double sided tape around the edges on the back. Initially I then added vellum, but it muted the background too much so I removed it and added acetate instead.

I used a variety of Love From Lizi sequins to fill out my shaker well, picking through various mixed to find colours that coordinated with my stamping. I primarily used teal, but also some pinky ones, dark blue, pearly white, and clear. I spent quite a while picking out the wrong colours too, and I just noticed in the photo that a gold one made it past my checks… How rude.

With the shaker well filled up, I could add the front panel on. I added double sided tape onto the back of the frame behind the acetate, then also added some Glossy Accents to really make it extra secure. I then positioned the frame into place, closing my shaker. Of course I had to give it a test shake at this point, too!

The final element for this card was a die cut sentiment. I used a now retired die from MFT which reads hooray. I’d been imagining this as a birthday card, but the hooray sentiment allows it to work for any celebratory occasion. I cut it from a snippet of black card and then adhered it onto the card, overlapping the frame.

Challenges:

Craft Roulette – Window Card; Blue-Green + 2 Colours; Gifts; Stacks

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Anything Goes

STAMPlorations Summer Challenge – Anything Goes

Stay Crafty With Hero – Interactive Cards

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There you have my three die cut cards. Which do you like best? I think my favourite is either the first or the third, but I can’t descide. I really did have fun making all of them.

Love,

Charlotte E (Lady Joyful) Email thejoyfulsoulcreates@gmail.com

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