Technique – inlaid die-cutting

Featuring inlaid die-cutting

Inlaid Butterfly

Hi there!

It’s time for a new challenge at AAA Cards! This fortnight we’d like you to create a card using up to one third of your card base only and the optional twist is an inlaid die. Our sponsor is Funky Fossil Designs.

When I saw our sponsor, I knew I had to incorporate one of my Funky Fossil stencils… but the challenge was how could I use a stencil, an inlaid die and only use a third of my card! After a bit of thought, I decided to use my favourite Funky Fossil stencil, Shrubbery, and inlaid a small Waffle Flower Crafts butterfly. The sentiment is by Sugar Pea Designs.

My team mates have come up with some beautiful cards which are on the AAA Cards challenge blog. Hope you can play along with us!

Thanks for stopping by!

LucieG.

Feline Fine

Hi there!

It’s time for a new challenge at AAA Cards! This fortnight we have a sketch for you and the optional twist is animals. Our sponsor is Craftyscrappers

I decided to use the Penny Black FeLINE die so first of all, I created a wall for them to sit on using a My Favorite Things stencil and some distress ink. I then created a small section of sky before adhering the cat die. I played around with various sentiments but in the end I decided to leave the card blank. I must say these cats remind me of my team mate Maaike’s cats – so this card may end up in her mail box one day!

My team mates have come up with some beautiful cards which are on the AAA Cards challenge blog. Hope you can play along with us!

Thanks for stopping by!

LucieG.

Antique leaf

Hi Everyone!

Today, I’m playing along with this week’s Freshly Made Sketches challenge where their 400th anniversary celebrations continue!

This week’s sketch was the one used for challenge number 300…. and when I saw it, I thought of a Clearly Besotted die that would work perfectly with the design. But the more I thought about it, the more it felt really familiar…. so I went back and checked – FMS challenge number 300 was in August 2017, after I started playing along with the challenge, and blogging! And of course, I had used that very die back then! My entry is here if you want to check it out!

So, for today’s take, I did something a bit different – controlled ink smooshing instead of two paper panels. Then I added a new die cut – this is the Antique Leaf Label die from Memory Box. I have loved this die for a long time and I’m glad I finally took the plunge and bought it this week! The sentiment is also by Memory Box.

Thank for stopping by!

LucieG.

Color Throwdown Guest Designer Week 1

Hello everyone!

I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to say that I have the honour of being the August Guest Designer over at one of my favourite challenges, the Color Throwdown. I’m so excited!

I have to say that this week’s fabulous colour palette of green, yellow, pink and lavender was a little challenging for me… It’s a beautiful palette with some amazing possibilities BUT I have a bit of a difficult time with lavender! Whenever I try to use it for a colour challenge, I always end up with a shade I feel is too purple or too pink!

So, for this week, I played it safe and used Milled Lavender distress ink!

I thought this palette would be perfect for a flowery card and decided to use a somewhat neglected background die that I bought last year (Daisy Mosaic by Creative Expressions) and one of my favourite techniques – inlaid die cutting. I started by creating four ink blended panels (in addition to Milled Lavender, I used Spun Sugar, Scattered Straw and Mowed Lawn). I then cut each of these panels using the background die. I also cut a piece of white card with the die.

I removed all the little pieces from the white die cut panel, adhered the negative to my card base and got to work inlaying all the little bits from the ink blended die cut panels. It’s time consuming but I think it’s totally worth it!

I had originally planned to add a green frame to the card, but as I was about to cut the frame, the green negative die cut panel fell onto my card base. I really liked the green outline and so I adhered the whole green negative panel on top of the inlaid background, effectively hiding all the white!

I added a Winnie & Walter die cut sentiment and a Penny Black butterfly to complete my card.

For full details of how to enter this week’s challenge, please head over to the Color Throwdown challenge blog. As usual, the design team has some amazing inspiration:

Thanks for stopping by!

LucieG.

Christmas in July – Day 17

Hi Everyone

Day 17 of Christmas in July and I’m still die cutting! Today I used an older Memory Box die, Dazzling Snowflake from 2014, with the sketch from the current Case This Sketch Challenge and the fabulous palette from this week’s Color Throwdown Challenge – pink, grey, white and silver. I used this die a lot for some mass-produced cards five years ago; this card is definitely NOT a design for speedy mass production – that inlaid die cutting took a while due to ALL THOSE TINY DOTS. Worth it though, I love the effect! The stamped sentiment is by Sugar Pea Designs.

I’m also entering this into the current CAS Christmas challenge where the theme is snowflake.

Thank for stopping by!

LucieG.

Rad birthday roses

Hi everyone

Today I’m playing along with the current Freshly Made Sketches challenge…. and because I love the current combo over at the Color Throwdown challenge (raspberry, lavender, green and kraft), I’m also playing along with that challenge again!

I finally used the Paper Smooches Rad Roses die that I got a few months ago. I just love these Deco/Rennie Mackintoch roses so much, whenever I see them in dies/stamps, I almost always end up buying them! Anyway, I cut the image three times – in white, green (blended mowed lawn distress ink) and lavender (blended Gina K lovely lavender ink) and then inlaid the roses and leaves.

I adhered a strip of Basic Grey paper to the left side of my card and then adhered a white panel to the right side of the card using funky foam. I embossed a sentiment on a strip kraft cardstock and adhered that, plus some more Basic Grey paper to the white panel. Finally I adhered the Rad Roses and finished off my card with a few gems.

Thanks for stopping by!

LucieG.