Apr 2, 2014

Here a Snip, There a Snip!

Hello again, everyone!

And I hope you are all having a fantastic week!  Hopefully, you have already checked out the awesome cards posted by Mikha & Darlene on Monday & Tuesday.  If not, be sure you go back for a look. You won't be disappointed! And remember to come back tomorrow & Friday to visit Robin & Alicia's posts too!

Today I am sharing 2 cards that were made with the same corner die.  That in itself, isn't anything unusual.  What is unusual is that both cards are dramatically different sizes.  I bought the Wild Rose Studio Corner Flourish die a couple of weeks ago, intending to use it on my cards. I normally like to do a 4 3/4 inch by 6 1/2 inch card.   The minute I cut the die, I realized I couldn't put it on all four corners because it was too long & would overlap. I had my heart set on doing all four corners, so I improvised!  I laid the corners on my card & noted where I could cut the pattern without ruining the beauty of the design & still be able to use all four corners. This is something you can do with many of the dies you buy.  Don't dispair when one of your dies won't fit the card you are making until you see if there is any way you can trim a section first!  By doing that, you will get twice the use from all of your dies.   Here is my normal rectangular card made by trimming small areas from the original die.

As you can see, the die created a gorgeous border around my sentiment which I cut with the smallest of the Spellbinder Radiant Rectangles dies.  Anyone looking would never know the die had been cut to fit.

This card was made as a 6 inch square using the die WITHOUT cutting any of  it off.  When you compare the two side by side, it's really hard to see where the die was altered. Don't be afraid to trim a die to make it fit the area!  Oh, and ladies, I have another tip that may help you when you are cleaning your dies. My friend Peggy mentioned one day that she had heard people using old paint brushes to help poke out the paper left behind in your intricate dies.  That got me to thinking & I grabbed an old toothbrush since they have stiffer bristles than a brush.  It works great!  Pounce it up and down several times around the top of your die & all those pesky pieces stuck inside fall like snow!

I hope I've given you something to think about today!  Now head on over to the Dies R Us store to see all the amazing new products that have been added!

Until next Wednesday when I see you again, have a wonderful week!  And create something beautiful!!!
Sherri

8 comments:

  1. Absolutely GORGEOUS Sherri!! And thanks for the wonderful tips!

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  2. Oh this card is pretty, very elegant !
    xx

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  3. Sherri, I LOVE your cards today. SO cool that you showed both arectangle and square card using the same die! The color and amazing corner die creates such beautiful cards! I had not seen that corner die and it is really cool! It is definitly my kind of card.

    The old paintbrush works very well to take the pesky little thread like things that hang inside the CUT DIE itself! I lay the die cut on my plam and brush one side (using a stippling like motion) and then turn it over and do the back side as well. When you look at your palm...those little thread like pieces of paper are laying in it! The toothbrush might be too stiff and tear the die, but the softer paintbrush does not. I LOVE the toothbrush idea for the die itself. It is just SO time consuming cleaning up the die when you are done and this should have it done in a jiffy! GREAT idea!

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  4. Love the borders, you showed her versatile they can become.
    Thanks for the tips. Beautiful card.

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  5. Thanks for the tip Sherri! Just love the colors in your card and another great design from you.

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  6. WOW! I thought those are two different dies! You're really awesome, Sherri!! Brilliant idea!
    xx

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  7. You clever girl! I never would have thought you'd cut down the die in the first card. It looks completely seamless! That is really some great versatility! So pretty, simple, and sweet, but, oh, so gorgeous! Good tip on cleaning up the die after cutting, too. I use a paper piercer to poke out the leftovers. Much more time consuming than your toothbrush idea. I will try that!

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