I had so much fun working with rainbow colors the other day, I decided to pull out my colors for another bit of creating. Today, I’m utilizing one die, and showcasing a few different ways it can be used to create simple, yet beautiful cards.
I started by pulling out my Distress Oxide Inks to create four rainbow backgrounds on Neenah 80lb Solar White cardstock, cut to 5 1/8” x 4”. Ink colors used were: Seedless Preserves, Salty Ocean, Mowed Lawn, Squeezed Lemonade, Carved Pumpkin and Picked Raspberry. I decided to ink one more panel in rainbow colors, but over a stencil for added interest. Using Altenew’s Beveled Squares Stencil, I ink blended the rainbow colors in an irregular pattern.
I then brought out the highlighted die of the day, Hello Mini Coverplate Die by Catherine Pooler. This die cuts a rectangular frame, the word ‘Hello’ and has a great negative space. I utilized all three of the sections for my cards today.
I ran one of the backgrounds through my Big Shot with the die, then cut an additional two from Neenah 80lb Solar White cardstock. Next, came the card bases, all sized A2 (5.5” x 8.5”, folded in half). Four were cut from Simon Says Stamp 120lb Base White, and an additional card cut from Gina K Slate cardstock. I adhered the three remaining backgrounds directly to three of the white care bases using a strong double sided tape.
Taking one of the white negative space die cuts, I centered it on a card, but did not glue it down. Instead, I placed glue into the spaces where the letters go. Holding the die in place, I then placed the individual letters into the open spaces, pressing them firmly into the glue. While the glue set for a couple minutes, I applied glue to the back of a white frame, then used the negative space again as a guide to position the frame onto the card. Once the glued sections had set, I gently pulled the negative space from around the letters and inside of the frame.
This technique helps keep your letters in their proper place and with the designed spacing. In addition, the frame easily bends, and gluing it in place around the negative space keeps the rectangle square. I repeated the technique with another of the backgrounds but finished off the second by adding a little silver sparkle via my Nuvo Aqua Shimmer pen. I simply drew over the letters carefully, leaving a light sparkle behind. Next, I glued the white negative space die cut I had been using as a positioning device onto the remaining rainbow background.
Taking the Slate card base, I glued down the remaining white negative space die cut. This time, I utilized the rainbow die cut letters and frame to surround the white negative space. I really love how the grey sets off the colors, and the rainbow pattern continues across the frame and letters.
The last card utilizes the remaining negative space, which is rainbow colored and the ink blended background using the stencil. I cut a scrap piece of white card stock to back the die cut, then glued it to a piece of craft foam cut slightly smaller than die cut itself. While the glue set, I rounded the edges of the stenciled background using a punch from my stash. The punch has lost some of its sharpness, so I used my Mono Sand Eraser to soften the rough edges. I’ll be punching some foil later to help sharpen my punch.
I adhered the stenciled background to the remaining card base, then glued my die cut stack in the center. This finished off my final card, bringing me to a grand total of five for the group. This die has been a great addition to my collection, the versatility of it is fantastic. Do you have a favorite die that you use in multiple ways? I would love to hear about it, maybe it will someday make it into my collection! In the meantime, Keep Calm and Craft On!
