REVERSE DIE CUTTING - IT'S EASIER THAN YOU THINK!

Hi Stampers!

Today I have two techniques to share that go hand on hand. The Reverse Stamping Technique (See 15 January 2021 post) combined with the Reverse Die Cutting Technique allows you to change the orientation of outline image stamps and use a coordinating die to cut them in reverse. 

Here are the cards I made using these techniques:

BIRTHDAY CHICKS CARD

SUPPLIES FOR THIS CARD:

* Basic Black card base - 8 1/2” x 5 1/2” scored and folded at 4 1/4”.

* Basic White cardstock - for card front cut it at 5” x 3 3/4”; for the inside of the card cut a piece that is 5 1/4” x 4”. Pieces of Basic White to stamp the chickens (I cut mine at 3 1/2” x 3”.)

* Multiple colors of scrap cardstock for the Happy Birthday and the streamers. (I used Poppy Parade, Mango Melody, Granny Apple Green, Daffodil Delight, and Balmy Blue.)

* DSP - Pattern Party cut at 5 1/4” x 4”.

* Inks - Memento Tuxedo Black, Crumb Cake, Balmy Blue; Stampin’ Blends - Crumb Cake (light and dark), Daffodil Delight (dark and light), Pumpkin Pie (dark and light), Poppy Parade (dark and light), Pool Party (dark and light), Soft Seafoam (dark and light).

* Blending Brushes

* Adhesive of choice and dimensionals.

* Hey Birthday Chick and Birthday Chick Dies (Stampin’ Up!®️ 2021-2022 Annual Catalog)

ASSEMBLY:

* Using blending brushes, the Crumb Cake and Balmy Blue inks apply color to the 5” x 3 3/4” piece of Basic White cardstock. Take the Crumb Cake ink from the bottom of the cardstock about 3/4 of the way up. Now add the Balmy Blue to cover the remainder of the cardstock.

* Stamp two of the chicken images on two of the 3 1/2” x 3” pieces of Basic White cardstock. 

* Use the Reverse Stamping Technique to stamp the third chicken.+

* Die cut the three chickens using the Reverse Die Cutting Technique for reversed stamped image.+

* Die cut the Happy Birthday and the streamers. Die cut the chicken scratches.

* Use liquid glue to attach the streamers, the Happy Birthday, and two of the chickens to the focal panel. Adhere the 3rd chicken with dimensionals.

* Adhere the DSP panel to the card front. 

* Adhere focal panel to card.

* Adhere inside panel to inside of card.

(+ See video for details.)

HEY BIRTHDAY CHICK

BIRTHDAY CHICK DIES

COUNTING SHEEP BIRTHDAY CARD

SUPPLIES FOR THIS CARD:

* Basic Black card base - 8 1/2” x 5 1/2” scored and folded at 4 1/4”.

* Basic White  cardstock 5” x 4 1/4” and one piece cut at 4 3/4” x 3 1/2” for front focal panel. Two pieces cut at 3 1/2” x 3” for the sheep, and scraps for the balloons and party hats.

* Basic Black cardstock cut at 4 7/8” x 3 5/8”.

* Scrap f Granny Apple Green cardstock for Happy Birthday

* DSP - 6” x 7” DSP Brights, Granny Apple Green cut at 5 1/4” x 4”.

* Inks - Tuxedo Memento Black, Balmy Blue, and Granny Apple Green; Stampin’ Blends - Granny Apple Green (dark and light), Poppy Parade (dark and light), Balmy Blue (dark and light), Daffodil Delight (dark and light), Smoky Slate (light), Basic Black (light).

* Blending Brushes

* Adhesive of choice and dimensionals.

* Counting Sheep stamp set and Sheep Dies; Hey Birthday Chick and Birthday Chick Dies. 

(The Counting Sheep stamp set and the coordinating Sheep Dies will be available beginning 3 August 2021 as Sale-a-bration offerings.)

ASSEMBLY:

* Use the blending brushes and the Granny Apple Green and Balmy Blue inks to add color to the Basic White focal panel. Stamp the grass image several times toward the bottom area of the focal panel. 

* Stamp the sheep - use the Reverse Stamping Technique for one sheep. Color the sheeps’ hooves and faces.

* Stamp and color the the balloons and party hats.

* Die cut the sheep, the balloons, the party hats, and the Happy Birthday.

* Adhere the DSP to the card base. 

* Adhere the focal panel to the Basic Black mat. Adhere this piece to the card.

* Adhere the greeting die cut and the die cut images to the card. The sheep on the right and it’s balloons are adhered with dimensionals.

COUNTING SHEEP

SHEEP DIES

REVERSE DIE CUTTING VIDEO

REVERSE STAMPING

+ For full tutorial video see my 15 January 2021 post.

To stamp the image in reverse, ink the stamp with the Memento Tuxedo Black. Stamp the image on a silicone craft sheet. Place the Basic White cardstock over the image and gentle rub over the back of the cardstock with your fingers to transfer the ink to the paper. Lift up the cardstock. You now have the image in reverse.

REVERSE DIE CUTTING

+ See the video above for reverse die cutting directions using a light box / tracing light. These lights are sold by Amazon, Walmart (on line), and many art supply outlets.

REVERSE DIE CUTTING WITHOUT A LIGHT BOX

An alternative to using the light box / tracing light is to use a window - during daylight hours, of course!

*Stamp the reversed image.

* Use Washi tape, painter’s tape or other low tack tape and tape the stamped image to the window making sure the image is facing he window.  I put tape on 2-3 corners. You should be able to see the image clearly.

* Line up the die around the image. Use two more pieces of tape to hold the die in place. 

* Remove the cardstock from the window taking care to keep the die on place.

* Run this through your die cutting machine. You now have a reversed die cut image. 

Below are two photos demonstrating how to tape the image to the window and how to align the die. (Yes, that is the view from my craft room - it is part of our back yard and part of a pasture.)

It is just that easy to die cut a reversed image to use on your cards and other paper crafting projects!

That’s all for today.  Thank you for stopping by. Until next time…

Stamp Happy!

Kim

All stamps and stamped images ©️1990 - 2021 Stampin’ Up!®️

WANT TO MAKE AN EASY “WOW” CARD? GIVE AN EASEL CARD A TRY!

 Hi Stampers,

Today I have four cards to share with you. Each one is quite different from the others, but they all have one thing in common! They are all easel cards! Easel cards are easy to make, and they make the recipients say, “Wow!” That is a win - win, for sure.  Let’s take a look at today’s cards. At the end of this post is a video demonstrating how to assemble easel cards.

FOUR EASY TO MAKE EASEL CARDS

EASEL CARDS STANDING

Easel cards orientation can be either landscape or portrait.  Let’s look at landscape orientation first.

BASE FOR THE LANDSCAPE EASEL CARD:

* Card Base- Basic White or light colored cardstock cut at 5 1/2” x 8 1/2” scored along the 8 1/2” side at 2 1/8” and at 4 1/4”. Fold along score lines. Both folds are mountain fold. Burnish with a bone folder.

* Card Front - cardstock, color of your choice cut at 5 1/2” x 4 1/4”

* Stopper -  (the piece that allows the card to stay in place while open and standing ) Cardstock or DSP cut at 5 1/2” x 2”, scored at 1” along the 2” side. Fold this I half along the score line. Adhere the two sides of the paper together.

FREE AS A BIRD EASEL CARD

To make this card start with a Basic White landscape orientation card base, a Gorgeous Grape card front, and a Gorgeous Grape stopper.

OTHER SUPPLIES:

* Free As A Bird stamp set

* Hand-Penned DSP - Highland Heather - cut at 5 1/4” x 4”

* Gorgeous Grape cardstock cut at 4 3/8” x 2 5/8” and Shimmery White cardstock cut at 4 1/4” x 2 1/2”

* Square Vellum Doily 

* Gorgeous Grape and Highland Heather inks

* Water Painter (wide brush) and clear block

* Multipurpose Glue, Tape, Demminsionals

TO ASSEMBLE:

*Pick up Highland Heather ink with the clear block. Use the water painter to create a watercolor wash on the Shimmery White Cardstock. Dry this with a heat tool, or allow to air dry. Stamp images on the water color panel

* Adhere the DSP to the Gorgeous Grape cardstock front. To adhere the Gorgeous Grape panel to the easel card base add the liquid adhesive to the card base from the 2 1/8” score line downward. Now adhere the card front. 

* Place the doily in the center of the Gorgeous Grape mat so it looks like a diamond. Use a piece of tape to keep it in place. Adhere the bird image over the top.

* Adhere the stopper on the inside of the card about 3/4”-1” from the bottom.

* Stamp other greetings and images.  

WAY TO GOAT

This card is made just like the previous card, except I used the Way To Goat stamp set. I made the card with Mint Macaron DSP from Handed - Pennned. The Basic White cardstock strip is 3/4” wide x 5 1/2” long. The goat image on the left was created using the  Reverse Stamping Technique. (See 15 Jan 2021 post.) The goats were colored with Stampin’ Blends. The “Smile” sentiment is from the Daisy Lane stamp set.

Now let’s look at the cards in  portrait orientation:

BASE FOR THE PORTRAIT ORIENTATION EASEL CARD

* Card Base - Basic White (or other light colored cardstock) cut at 4 1/4” x 11” scored at 2 3/4” and 5 1/2” along the 11” side.

* Card Front - cardstock - color of your choice cut at 4 1/4” x 5 1/2”

* Stopper - DSP or cardstock cut at 4 1/4” x 2” scored at 1” along the 2” side.

ENJOY THE MOMENT EASEL CARD

OTHER SUPPLIES:

* Enjoy the Moment stamp set

* Portrait Oriented card base - Basic White

* Card Front - Basic White 4 1/4” x 5 1/2” 

* DSP - 2021-23 6” x 6” DSP in Soft Succulent

* For the focal point - Soft Succulent cardstock 4 1/2” x 2”. Basic White cardstock 4 1/4” x 1 3/4”. Scrap of Basic White for image.

* Ink - Crumb Cake and Soft Succulent

* Linen Thread

* Blending Brush or Sponge Dauber

ASSEMBLY:

*Using a blending brush (or sponge dauber) add a bit of Soft Succulent ink down the center of the piece of Basic White for the focal point. Now ink up the Happy Birthday stamp from the stamp set with Soft Succulent ink. Stamp the greeting full strength, then stamp again under the previous image, then one more time. Repeat this process all the way down the piece of cardstock. 

* On the scrap piece of Basic White, stamp the poppy pod image. Fussy cut the image, and put dimensionals on the back. Adhere the Happy Birthday panel to the Soft Succulent mat. Now attach the poppy pod to the focal panel. 

* Wrap the Linen Thread around the focal panel several times about 2/3 of the way down, tie a bow. 

* Add dimensionals to the back of the focal piece and adhere it to the card front toward the right side of the card.

* Open the card and stamp the sentiment (it’s your day enjoy it - from the Happiest of Birthdays stamp set) with Soft Succlent ink at the bottom center of the card. Adhere the stopper right above the sentiment.

HEY BIRTHDAY CHICK PORTRAIT ORIENTATION EASEL CARD

This card is similar to the previous card. The focal piece is centered as opposed to being adhered to the right side of the card front. The stamp set is Hey Birthday Chick. The card front is Seaside Spray, as is the focal point mat. The DSP is from the Sand & Sea DSP (mini catalog). The greeting is stamped with Seaside Spray ink. The chicken is stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Stampin’ Blends, and die cut with the coordinating dies. I stamped the chicken image two more times and die cut those.  I trimmed away the chicken to get the extra two balloons. It is attached to the mat with dimensionals. The embellishments are the Basic Rhinestone Jewels colored with Stampin’ Blends (Poppy Parade, Balmy Blue, and Daffodil Delight - all dark). 

Here is another look at all four cards.

And... here is a video demonstrating how to assemble the portrait and landscape versions of the easel card.

HOW TO ASSEMBLE EASEL CARDS

That’s it for today. Thank you for stopping by. Until next time...

Stamp Happy!

Kim

To visit my online store click on a catalog in the right column of this blog. This will take you to my Stampin’ Up! web site. Then click on shop.

All stamps and stamped images ©️1990-2021 Stampin’ Up!®️

ADD A LITTLE ACTION TO YOUR CARDS WITH A WOBBLY SPRING

 Hi Stampers,

The cards I am sharing today feature a fun interactive mechanism (small spring) added to the back side of the focal image (die cut) that allows the image to bobble and wobble. The wobbly spring mechanism is easy to create, but if you prefer, you can purchase a similar item called Action Wobbles. Action Wobbles are available through Amazon, Walmart.com, and other such outlets. 

Here is a look at a couple of the cards I created using my homemade wobbly spring.

This card features Whale Done stamp set and Whale Builder punch, and the Whale of a Time DSP (annual catalog). The tiny fish die cut using the Whale Dies (mini catalog). The greeting is from the Zany Zebras stamp set. The wobble spring is placed behind the whale.

This card also features the Whale of a Time DSP; the sentiment is also from Zany Zebras, and the shark is from the stamp set Shark Frenzy (mini catalog).

Here is a look at how the wobble spring is attached to the die cut image and the card.

The cards was created using images from the Flowering Cactus Product Medley (mini catalog). The cactus on the left has the wobble spring attached to it.

The two white chickens on the card have wobble springs attached.

Finally, I created this card using images from kangaroo & company.

SUPPLIES 

To create the wobbly spring mechanism you will need:

* a piercing mat or several sheets of paper stacked a top one another, or a magazine

* a paper piercing tool (Take Your Pick Tool), or a tapestry needle, or the tip of  paper snips

* a round chop stick, pencil, skewer - something to wrap wire around 

* beading wire or very thin, very playable wire - about 4”

* wire snips or kitchen scissors 

* Tear & Tape

* 4 cardstock pieces (circles, squares, etc) in size appropriate for the die cut image it will be used on - 3/4”

   or 1” work well for most die cuts.

HOW TO

Cut a piece of beading wire about 4” long.

Wrap the wire around the chopstick. Push the wire together while it is still on the chopstick.

Slide the “spring” off the chopstick.

Use the paper piercing tool to poke a hole in the middle of two of the cardstock squares (circles). The holes do not need to be directly in the center - just close.

On the remaining two pieces of cardstock squares (circles) put two small pieces of Tear & Tape on each side of both cardstock squares.

Thread one end of the spring through the hole in the piece of cardstock. Twist he spring until there is enough of it through to adhere it in place with the other piece of cardstock that has Tear & Tape on it.

Remove the backing from the Tear & Tape on one side of the cardstock square (circle). Adhere this piece of cardstock over the top of the part of the spring threaded through the cardstock piece.

Now do the same thing with the other end of the spring.

Your wobble spring mechanism is complete.

Remove the backing from the Tear & Tape on one end of the device and attach it to the die cut. Remove the backing from the Tear & Tape on the other end of your mechanism and attach it to your card. That is all there is to it! 

* These cards can be mailed in a regular envelope. Simply push down on the wobbly spring as you slide the card into the envelope.

WOBBLE SPRING VIDEO

I hope you will give the wobbly spring a try! That is it for today! Until next time...

Stamp Happy!

Kim

All stamps and stamped images ©️1990-2021 Stampin’ Up!®️

CREATE FUN CARDS WITH HEY CHICK & HEY BIRTHDAY CHICK STAMP SETS

 Hi, Stampers!

A couple of weeks ago I told you about a fun promotion coming your way on 2 February 2021. I hope everyone has had the opportunity to take a look at the HEY BIRTHDAY CHICK stamp set on page 52 of the Stampin’ Up!®️ January - June 2021Mini Catalog. If those chicks look familiar, it is because they made their debut in the HEY CHICK stamp set during SALE-A-BRATION 2017! The HEY CHICK stamp set is returning for an encore, and it is bringing the CHICK DIES with it! Wait.... there is more! BIRTHDAY CHICK DIES are joining the fun as well! Each stamp set and its coordinating dies can be purchased as a bundle, or you can purchase each item individually. If you still have the HEY CHICK stamp set in your collection, rest assured the HEY CHICK DIES  work perfectly with the images. 

Below is the card I showed you a couple of weeks ago. I made it using the HEY CHICK stamp set.

And now for some cards made using the HEY BIRTHDAY CHICK stamp set and BIRTHDAY CHICK DIES:

This card was inspired by the cards on page 52 of the mini catalog. The chicken wire is made using a die from the CHICK DIES. The balloons are colored with Stampin’ Blends, then stamped with Classis ink using the confetti stamp from the stamp set. 

What is more fun than dancing chickens? Making a card featuring dancing chickens, of course! The background panel was made using Basic White cardstock, Daffodil Delight and Pumpkin Pie ink pads,  and blending brushes. Look at the little chicken scratches along the bottom of the focal panel. There is a die for that! I love that! After die cutting the chick scratches, I used the Tasteful Textile 3-D embossing folder to add a little texture. I die cut  two happy birthdays, one from Basic White cardstock, and another from Pumpkin Pie cardstock, the adhered the two together - just offset a bit. 

This card uses chicken images from both stamp sets. The chicken coop is a die cut from the CHICK DIES. The cute BUMBLEBEE gingham ribbon is found on page 161 of the annual catalog. The background DSP is from the BERRY DELIGHTFUL DSP - an SAB item that is bundled with the BERRY BLESSINGS stamp set that can be earned for free with a $100 Stampin’ Up! product purchase between now and 28 February!

HEY CHICK STAMP SET

CHICK DIES

HEY BIRTHDAY CHICK STAMP SET

BIRTHDAY CHICK DIES

These items will be available for purchase 2 February - 30 June 2021.

That’s all for today, Stampers. Until next time...

Stamp Happy!

Kim

All stamps and stamped images ©️1990-2021 Stampin’ Up!®️