Quick Tip For Inking Die Cuts | Scrapbook.com Clearly Amazing Mat to the Rescue

Hello friends! In today's blog post I'm going to share a quick tip for inking die cuts, discuss why you might want to start die cutting from white cardstock and then walk you step by step through how I created this card. I'll be working with the Scrapbook.com Spanish Mosaic Tile Stencil, Nested Arches Die Set and Layered Roses Die Set. But feel free to use any stencils and dies you have in your stash.

Hope Your Day Card by Juliana Michaels featuring Scrapbook.com Nested Arches Dies, Spanish Tile Stencil, Layered Roses Die and Rainbows And Wishes 2 Stamp Set

You can continue reading to learn how I created this card or if you would prefer a video you can check that out below. If you are unable to view it below, you can also head over to YouTube.

QUICK TIP FOR INKING DIE CUTS

As I mentioned, one of the things I want to share with you is a quick tip for inking die cuts. Obviously you can always cut your dies from colored cardstock, but there are many reasons why you might not want to use colored cardstock. I often like to add some mixed media to my projects which is why I often cut all of my shapes from the smooth side of Distress Watercolor Cardstock. This paper can stand up to whatever I want to throw at from ink to paint and everything in between. Sometimes it's as simple as not knowing what colors I want to work with, so cutting them out in white lets me play around with the layout before committing to my color palette. So even if you're not into mixed media, cutting them out of plain white cardstock might be something you find helpful during the planning stages.


I began by taking a piece of Distress Watercolor paper and die cut it using the greenery dies from the Layered Roses Die Set. I cut each of the dies out of one piece of paper and left some space around each one. I'm going to use this as a template of sorts to hold my die cuts in place as I ink them.
 
To help hold everything in place, I used the Scrapbook.com Clearly Amazing Mat. This is a low tack mat and is a great tool to help hold the paper in place. First, I adhered the template to the mat and then I put the die cuts into place. If there are any in between pieces that you would normally throw out after you die cut, make sure to keep those and put them in place so you don't get ink on your mat. However, if you do get ink on there, it's not the end of the world. You can easily clean the mats with a damp lint free towel or baby wipe.

Once the die cuts are in place, I inked them using Distress Oxide Inks and an ink blending brush. The colors I used are Peeled Paint, Forest Moss, Iced Spruce and Wild Honey. These die cuts are rather delicate and if you've ever tried to ink this sort of die cut before, then you know it can be difficult to apply the ink without wrinkling or tearing the die cut. This is where the Scrapbook.com Clearly Amazing Mat comes in SO handy. It holds them in place so I don't have to worry about them wrinkling or tearing as I apply the ink. And that template I made? It prevents me from getting ink all over the mat.


Another fun thing you can do when inking your die cuts is to add some shading. So even if you did cut your shapes from colored cardstock, you can use this trick to add some shading which I did on the green leaves. Just grab an ink color slightly darker than your paper to create the shadow.

Once I had finished with the inking, I decided to add a little interest by spritzing the die cuts with water using my Distress Sprayer. I told you I liked to throw stuff at my die cuts! I held the sprayer away from my paper and quickly pulled the trigger so that I got more of a fine mist rather than larger droplets which is what happens if you pull the trigger more slowly. I then dabbed them with a dry paper towel to lift off some of the ink.


Next onto the rose die cut. I cut the layers for this piece from Distress Watercolor paper so I could do the ink smooshing technique. I applied Old Paper Distress Ink directly to my craft mat, spritzed the ink with a little water, smoothed out the edges of the ink with my finger and I then smooshed the paper into the ink. You can repeat this process as desired. To speed up the drying time, I used heat tool. I then added the outline layer which I kept plain with no ink added to it.

Behind the rose and greenery cluster, I layered die cuts I created from Distress Watercolor paper using two of the Scrapbook.com Nested Arches Dies. For the top layer, I used the same ink smooshing technique, but for this one I used Tea Dye Distress Ink. Once the paper was dry, I placed the Spanish Tiles Stencil on top of the paper and use some Mint tape to hold it in place. I then used a blending brush to apply Tea Dye Distress Oxide Ink through the stencil. When working with stencils,  I prefer to use a brush as the bristles tend to allow the ink to better get into the corners of the stencil and allow for a more crisp looking image. 

I wanted the colors to match so for the second arch, I created my own colored cardstock by inking it with the same color of ink I used for the stencil work - Tea Dye Distress Oxide Ink. I applied the ink around the outer edge of the paper because you won't be able to see the center. This is a great way to save time and ink!


Next, I added the sentiment from the Rainbows and Wishes 2 Stamp Set. I heat embossed it with Gold Embossing Powder and then trimmed it down to a thin strip, adhered it to the background and then trimmed it to match the shape of the arch.

For the background of the card, I very lightly applied Tea Dye Distress Oxide Ink through the Spanish Tile Stencil. I didn't want the background to detract from the other elements so I choose to keep the application lighter which kept the color lighter. If you do this step immediately after the other stencil work, you might even be able to just use the left over ink on your brush. If you do need to add more ink, but want that softer look, just wipe some of the excess off onto your craft mat.

To finish off the card, I adhered the die cuts using some foam squares to pop up the large rose die cut. I then adhered some pearls for a little more shimmer and interest.

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed learning this quick tip for how to ink your die cuts, why you might want to die cut from white cardstock and how this card came together.

Hope Your Day Card by Juliana Michaels featuring Scrapbook.com Nested Arches Dies, Spanish Tile Stencil, Layered Roses Die and Rainbows And Wishes 2 Stamp Set

SUPPLIES

Below you can find the products I used to create this project along with compensated affiliate links to Scrapbook.com. These links are at absolutely no cost to you. When you shop through the links below, I receive a small commission from Scrapbook.com. These links are at absolutely no cost to you and the commission I receive helps me cover the costs of my blog and other expenses, which allows me to continue to provide you with FREE inspiration and tutorials. If you want to learn more about what an affiliate link is, you can see my full affiliate and product disclosure statement here. Thank you so much for your love and support!


Snowflake Christmas Card Ideas

Yikes! Christmas is only 10 days away! But there is still time to get your Christmas cards ready and even if they arrive after Christmas, I see no reason why we can't celebrate the season as long as possible!
If you aren't a fan of the tradition red and green then these snowflake Christmas cards might be right up your alley and it would be super easy to switch out the sentiments for some Happy New Year's or Winter Birthdays!

SNOWFLAKE CHRISTMAS CARD IDEAS

To create this set of cards, I started off by stamping, heat embossing and die cutting the snowflakes. I'm using the Dainy Snowflakes Large Stamp and Die Set and the Dainty Snowflakes Small Stamp and Die Set from Scrapbook.com. I did a set with white embossing powder and a set with silver. I then used these to embellish each of the cards.

Dainty Snowflake Christmas Cards by Juliana Michaels featuring Scrapbook.com Dainty Snowflake Stamp Set

MERRY CHRISTMAS CARD

For the background on this card, I used the ink smooshing technique on a piece of Distress Watercolor Paper using Distress Ink in Rustic Wilderness, Iced Spruce and Uncharted Mariner. I placed the ink in that order on my craft mat, spritzed it with water and then smooshed the paper into the ink. I then dried it with my heat tool. For a little more interest, I used a long paint brush to splatter some Iced Spruced and then heat dried it again.

Merry Christmas Card by Juliana Michaels featuring Scrapbook.com Dainty Snowflake Stamp Set

I matted the background onto a piece of white cardstock that I custom colored with Uncharted Mariner Distress Ink. I used a blending tool to apply the ink just around the outer edge so as not to waste time or ink.

To embellish the card, I added some of the silver heat embossed Dainty Snowflakes. The sentiment is heat embossed with white embossing powder. I then applied Uncharted Mariner Distress Ink over it using a blending tool and wiped the excess ink from the stamped area with a clean towel. I then trimmed it to size and adhered it to the card front.


MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS CARD

The background on this card is a little more time consuming, but the end result is stunning and well worth it! Here, I stamped the Small Dainty Snowflakes randomly onto a piece of Distress Watercolor paper with embossing ink and then heat embossed them with white embossing powder.

After the stamping and heat embossing was finished, I did the same ink smooshing technique that I used on the first card. I used the same ink colors and I also added a few ink splatters of Iced Spruce as well. Once the background was completed, I layered it onto a piece of silver cardstock and then onto a piece of ink blended cardstock as I did on the first card.

Merry Little Christmas Card by Juliana Michaels featuring Scrapbook.com Dainty Snowflake Stamp Set

To embellish this card, I die cut a snowflake from silver cardstock using the Scrapbook.com Snowflakes Die Set. I cut it 2 more times from white cardstock and glued all of the layers together to make it a little more sturdy. I then added some silver thread behind the snowflake.

For the sentiment, I once again heat embossed it with white embossing powder and then inked the paper as I did on the first card.


BELIEVE CHRISTMAS CARD

On this card, I used the same stamping and white heat embossing as the second card, but here I didn't add the ink smooshing. I ink blending just a touch of Uncharted Mariner to the outside edge and added some Uncharted Mariner ink splatters. I then mounted this onto a piece of silver cardstock and an ink blended layer.

Believe Christmas Card by Juliana Michaels featuring Scrapbook.com Dainty Snowflake Stamp Set

For this card, I took some of the Large Dainy Snowflakes and ink smooshed them using the same technique and colors that I used when I created the backgrounds on the previous cards. I set the other two to the side and layered one of them on top of a snowflake die cut from silver cardstock. I used the other larger snowflake from the Scrapbook.com Snowflakes Die Set.

I stamped the sentiment using Uncharted Mariner Distress Ink, trimmed it to size, inked the edges and adhered it to the card front.


MERRY AND BRIGHT CHRISTMAS CARD

To create the background on this final card, I took a piece of Distress Watercolor Paper and simply added some ink splatters with Uncharted Mariner Distress Ink.
I then took the leftover silver heat embossed snowflakes and the other two ink smooshed snowflakes and added them to the card front.

Merry and Bright Christmas Card by Juliana Michaels featuring Scrapbook.com Dainty Snowflake Stamp Set

To finish it off, I added the sentiment using the same white heat embossing and inking as I did on the first two cards.


As always, I appreciate your visit and I hope you have a wonderful and blessed holiday season!

SUPPLIES

Below you can find the products I used to create this project along with compensated affiliate links to Scrapbook.com. These links are at absolutely no cost to you. When you shop through the links below, I receive a small commission from Scrapbook.com. These links are at absolutely no cost to you and the commission I receive helps me cover the costs of my blog and other expenses, which allows me to continue to provide you with FREE inspiration and tutorials. If you want to learn more about what an affiliate link is, you can see my full affiliate and product disclosure statement here. Thank you so much for your love and support!

Build A Santa | New Build And Layer Dies

If you know me at all, you know I love me a good Santa! I have a collection of them that I put out each Christmas and I love adding to it when I find the "right one". This year, I got my first blow mold Santa and I love the vintage touch he has added to my collection. Besides my home decor collection, I also love incorporating Santa into my card designs, so you know I was super excited when I got the new Build And Layer Santa Die from Scrapbook.com. They have just released a range of new Build and Layer Dies that include some fun holiday designs. If Santa isn't your thing, they also have an adorable bear that will be great for Christmas or Winter themed projects and some really cute Halloween designs that I can't wait to play with because I can Halloween all year long! 

Merry Christmas Card by Juliana Michaels featuring Scrapbook.com Santa Build and Layer Decorative Die Set, Bold Numbers Die Set and Christmas Stitched Border Strips

Here's a peek at the new Build and Layer Dies. Which one is on your wishlist?


Enough with the jibber jabber. Let's get on with the making! For this card, I began by building my Santa. I die cut the various layers using and adhered them together and set him to the side as I continued on with the rest of the card design.


Recently I made a card background using the Christmas Stitched Border Strips Emboss and Die Set. I really loved how it turned out, so I decided to use that same idea on this card. However, instead of using so many colors, I choose to only use 2 colors on this card. After I adhered the strips, I added some machine stitching around the outside edge and adhered the panel to my card base.


To go along with my cute Santa, I added the number 25 using the Bold Numbers Die Set. I then die cut some holly branches and added some sparkle to them using Snowflake Pops Of Color.


I then finished it off with a sentiment from the Scrapbook.com Wordfetti FaLaLa Stamp Set which I heat embossed with white embossing powder.


Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you enjoyed this bit of inspiration using the Scrapbook.com Build and Layer Santa Die Set.

SUPPLIES

Below you can find the products I used to create this project along with compensated affiliate links to Scrapbook.com. These links are at absolutely no cost to you. When you shop through the links below, I receive a small commission from Scrapbook.com. These links are at absolutely no cost to you and the commission I receive helps me cover the costs of my blog and other expenses, which allows me to continue to provide you with FREE inspiration and tutorials. If you want to learn more about what an affiliate link is, you can see my full affiliate and product disclosure statement here. Thank you so much for your love and support!

Hello Card | New A2 Coverplate Dies

Hello friends! Today I'm sharing about some new dies that make cardmaking easy and fun! Scrapbook.com just released a range of A2 Coverplate Dies that include both the sentiment and border all in one die. A2 Coverplate dies are 4.25 x 5.5 inches (the size of a standard card) so the only thing you have to do is choose the background and some embellishments so for the card I'm sharing today that's exactly what I did!

Hello Card by Juliana Michaels featuring Scrapbook.com Hello A2 Coverplate Die and Pops Of Color

Here's a peek at the 4 NEW A2 Coverplate designs. One for each of the most common card making themes...Christmas, Birthday, Hello and Thanks!


To create my card, I used the Hello A2 Coverplate to die cut a piece of Light Grey Woodgrain Cardstock. Using the same die, I cut it 2 more times from plain white cardstock and glued all of the layers together to create some dimension. I then inked the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.


For the background, I used the Buttercup and Vines Stencil and applied Soft Lilac Pearl Pops Of Color through the stencil onto a piece of Distress Watercolor Paper. To thicken the Pops of Color and to prevent it from bleeding under the stencil, I mixed in a little bit of Therm O Web Duo Transfer Gel. You can learn more about various ways to use Pops of Color with Stencils here.


Once the stencil work was dry, I ink smooshed the paper into some Old Paper Distress Ink for a slightly vintage feel and dried it with my heat tool.

For a bit more color, I die cut some leaves from the Scrapbook.com Boho Paper Pad using the Layered Roses and Delicate Leaves Die Sets and tucked them in behind the sentiment section on the A2 Coverplate. I then finished it off with a sentiment from the Wordfetti Sunny Days Stamp Set which I inked up using Pumice Stone Distress Oxide Ink.


Thanks for stopping by to day! So which new A2 Coverplate is on your must have list? Or do you need all 4 of them?!

SUPPLIES

Below you can find the products I used to create this project along with compensated affiliate links to Scrapbook.com. These links are at absolutely no cost to you. When you shop through the links below, I receive a small commission from Scrapbook.com. These links are at absolutely no cost to you and the commission I receive helps me cover the costs of my blog and other expenses, which allows me to continue to provide you with FREE inspiration and tutorials. If you want to learn more about what an affiliate link is, you can see my full affiliate and product disclosure statement here. Thank you so much for your love and support!

Happy Holidays Gift Tags | Compartmental Making

Happy Holidays friends! After a bit of a posting break, I'm back to share a little holiday cheer with a set of gift tags I created using some new dies from Scrapbook.com that I've mixed in with a few great staples from Tim Holtz. I'm also going to share how to put these together in 5 easy steps using compartmental making. Tim has recently shared a lot about compartmental making and if you aren't familiar with it, it's simply a way to break down the process of making into small sections so that it's more manageable and easier to fit some creative time into your busy schedule. Something that is super helpful this time of year!

Holiday Gift Tags by Juliana Michaels using Scrapbook.com Bold Numbers and Tim Holtz Framed Tags and Compartmental Making

HOLIDAY GIFT TAGS | COMPARTMENTAL MAKING

STEP 1. TAG BASE

The first step is to create the tag base. For these tags, I used the Tim Holtz Framed Tags Dies, Light Grey Woodgrain Cardstock and Distress Archival Ink in Fired Brick and Rustic Wilderness. The framed tags have a "frame" area on them that can emboss the paper for some added interest. When these dies first came out, Tim shared how to add ink to this area and achieve a letterpress effect and that is what I did on these tags.

To do this, you first want to clean the dies with a bit of rubbing alcohol to remove any residue from the manufacturing process. Then use a brayer to apply Archival Ink. I found his larger sized brayer to achieve the best results because it is wide enough to hit both side of the raised frame which minimizes getting ink on the inside of the die. After you apply the ink, place the die on top of you paper and run it through your die cutting machine. If you are making multiples of this, continue making as many as you need.

If you want to speed up this step, only use one color of ink instead of two. If you want to do more than one color, do all of the same color all at the same time. Make sure to clean off the die with rubbing alcohol before switching to the next color.


STEP 2. NUMBERS & REINFORCER HOLE

For this step, you are going to die cut the number 25 and the reinforcer hole using colored cardstock. I created my own colored cardstock using  Lumberjack Plaid Distress Spray Stain and Rustic Wilderness Distress Spray Stain. To do this, I spritzed a piece of Distress Watercolor Paper with the spray stain, sprayed it with some water to get the ink flowing and then dried it with my heat tool. Once the paper was dry, I die cut the 25 using the Scrapbook.com Bold Numbers Die Set and the reinforcer hole from the Framed Tags Dies and cut them from both of the colors of paper. 

If you want to speed up this step, skip creating your own cardstock with the spray inks and use colored cardstock.


STEP 3. WORD DIE

Using the same custom inked or colored cardstock as you did for the numbers and reinforcer hole, die cut the "Happy" from the Scrapbook.com Birthday Celebration Sentiments II Die Set.  Next, die cut the shadow layer for the word from white cardstock and inked the edges with a little Vintage Photo Distress Ink. Adhere these layers together.


STEP 3. SENTIMENTS

Using the same white cardstock that you used for the shadow layer, stamp "happy holidays" from the Scrapbook.com Wordfetti December Stamp Set in Black Soot Archival Ink. Trim this down using a paper trimmer or scissors and ink the edges.


STEP 4. HOLIDAY GREENS

Continuing with the die cutting, use the Tim Holtz Mini Holiday Greens to die cut 2 shades of green cardstock from the Tim Holtz Cool Kraft Stock Pack. You could use greenery die and any color of cardstock here or even create your own with spray inks like I did for the other die cutting.


STEP 5. ASSEMBLE

At this stage, it's time to assemble all of the layers. Using your preferred adhesive, adhere the various die cuts and sentiment to each tag. To finish them off, add some seam binding or ribbon of your choice.


And there you have it... set of Happy Holiday Tags ready for your holiday gift giving! I hope you enjoyed learning how these came together and how easy it is to do compartmental making!


SUPPLIES

Below you can find the products I used to create these projects along with compensated affiliate links to Scrapbook.com. These links are at absolutely no cost to you. When you shop through the links below, I receive a small commission from Scrapbook.com. These links are at absolutely no cost to you and the commission I receive helps me cover the costs of my blog and other expenses, which allows me to continue to provide you with FREE inspiration and tutorials. If you want to learn more about what an affiliate link is, you can see my full affiliate and product disclosure statement here. Thank you so much for your love and support!

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