Weekend Workout 8 - Die Cuts

If you're anything like me you would have delved into the world of die-cutiing at some point in your crafting career! Now I LOVE die cuts, I have a folder full of Quickutz dies, I own a diddy little Slice machine and I am loving Tim Holtz's new Sizzix Alterations dies! But like a lot of crafting tools, die cutters can be shoved to the back of the cupboard and make us feel guilty for not using them!

So this weekend's challenge is to encourage you to dust off your various die cutters, whether they are punches, nesties, electronic cutters or a Circle cutter!

Here's what I came up with:

I used Tim Holtz Alterations Cage and Bird die 2) Tim Holtz Tattered Flowers 3) Making Memories Spellbound Slice Card 4) Tim Holtz tattered Branch die and QuicKutz alphabet 5) Quickutz dies and Cuttlebug embossing die

 

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Dolly here. What a great challenge. When I saw the challenge I decided to set myself a sort of sub challenge to go with it. I love cutting shapes with my dies nbow I have a Cuttlebug but I thought I would challenge myself to use some old die cut sheets I have had since the first year I started scrapping. Wow - that was back in 2003.

In those days - those dim and dark days of the past - there was relatively little choice for scrapping products compared to what we enjoy today. Die cut sheets - well that is a misnomer actually as they were sheets you had to cut yourself - were one of the staples. I fell in love with The Beary Patch die cuts - I mean seriously in love.

 

 I loved them so much I had to have as many sheets as possible which meant ordering them from the US. And because I loved them so much .... you can guess what is coming ...... I couldn't bear to use them. So I am now in the position of having all of these die cut sheets which were loved so much they have never been used and which I don't love any more! They are not my style now (I am not sure they ever were ... I just loved them for being cute) and so I am now determined to try and use them.

So I pulled one out and made a card with it for soemone at work who had a little boy.

 

 They were very flat so I added dimension with layering, foam pads and a cloud made from white card and water colour pencils.

 

I used a scap of coordinating paper and added faux stitching and do you know what - I am in love with them again and can see a card making frenzy coming up using them all up.

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 Hello, Eleanor here, having been persuaded to get out my cricut for the first time since last autumn.

This card used a sentiment from Don Juan cartridge, which I cut in textured peach cardstock. It has a daisy attached, which I then cut alone, four times, and layered over the top. Assembled with a very old flower brad, and an even older Jolees flower stalk, onto Cosmo Cricket 'salt air' fish tails and I was done. (I wanted to outline the words with my trusty white gel marker, but I knocked it down behind my desk, which I can't move until someone helps me, so it probably will never get outlined, you know how it goes!)

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Hi Claireliz here

My Sizzix is one of the main tools in my stash & no matter what I return to it over & over. Katie's challenge gave me an excuse to have a play with one of the Tim Holtz Alterations dies I've recently bought - the Sewing Room one.

I decided to cover a small canvas board with book pages & ink & go from there....

 

The book pages are from a sewing encyclopedia that I rescued from the box going to charity at my mum's house, The ink is Tattered Rose & Vintage Velvet Distress ink. The dressmaker's dummy & thread bobbin are cut from Grungeboard using the Alterations Die, they've both been inked with Brushed Courduroy & Walnut Stain Distress Ink, I then covered the dressmaker's dummy with some old K&Co tape measure paper & wrapped embroidery thread around the bobbin & stuck a pin through it. To make the skirt I ruched some lace ribbon by sewing loose running stitch across the top of the ribbon & then pulling it tight, it's attached with glue dots & I used a small piece of pearl string for the necklace.

 
The buttons are vintage, they're from my Nan's sewing box. The number 9 is a chipboard letter that I've embossed with Blonde Moments Jays Chocolate Ultra Thick Embossing Powder.

So show us your die cuts, we'd love to see what you make, leave us a link & we'll stop by & say hi.

Thanks for stopping by & hope to see you soon.

The Girls xx

Comments

[Eleanor]

Wow, so much inspiration girls, all so different, and technique laden, just fab.
Elx

[GlitteryKatie]

Fabulous LO's and cards girlies, I love that you've delved into sacred stash Dolly!

[Debbie Roberts]

Love all of your work. Lol at Dolly was just contemplating what I have bought because I loved, never used, and never would use now. x

[Jayne]

Love all the examples. I too own a big shot, side kick, cricut & quickcuts not to mention millions of sizzix shape templates to go with shapecutter... I will get them out of the cupboard x

[Mandy]

Great projects everyone. I enjoyed hearing about using stash and pushing boundaries, been up to a bit of that myself recently ; )
Mandy x