One of the fun things about cutting dies and embossing folders is finding new ways to use them.  Sometimes I’ll be inspired by something I’ve seen elsewhere.  Sometimes it’s noticing interesting shapes formed by pieces discarded on the desk.  Today’s project idea came about while I was designing some new cards as part of an article I was writing for Canadian Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators.  The project involved the Artfully Layered Stamp Set and coordinating Tropical Layers Dies. It was while trying to be frugal with my cardstock that inspiration struck.

I must be honest and admit that using the edge die from the Tropical Layers Dies to create these strips was a total fluke. I’d actually been cutting two wide strips from the centre of a slimline card mat when I noticed the waste between them looked like ‘ric-rac’ trim. From there I had the idea to deliberately create strips in a variety of colours, and this bookmark was my test piece.

TROPICAL LAYERS RE-IMAGINED

From among my card scraps I chose Night of Navy, Petal Pink, Soft Sea Foam, Pool Party and Gray Granite. Then using the Mini Cut & Emboss Machine and the edge die from the Tropical Layers Dies I created ric-rac strips in a variety of sizes.

To keep everything under control while I stacked the strips I cut a 1″ wide strip of white scrap paper. Then I added about 6″ of Tear & Tape Adhesive down each long side. With that done I began to create the colourful layers.

I started right at the bottom with a ‘waste’ piece from one of the Night of Navy strips. This had one straight edge with faux stitching detail and the ric-rac edge at the top. From there it was simply a case of nestling the various strips into the mountains and valleys of the previous one.

After laying out one strip of each colour I decided it was time to add a sentiment. For this I wanted to use the kindness phrase from the Encircled in Friendship Stamp Set.

Using Night of Navy ink I stamped the sentiment onto a 2″ wide strip of Basic White Card. Then I went back to the edge die to add the ric-rac edge above and below the text. With that done I continued the assembly process, adding the sentiment and then reversing the colour order for the remaining strips.

TIME TO TRIM

Now all the pieces were in place I trimmed off the excess to leave me with a piece 2″ wide by 5-1/2″ long. Then I cut a piece of Basic White Card 2″ x 5-3/8″ and fixed the assembled layers to it using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow).

Next I punched a hole at the top using the Detailed Trio Punch. Then I cut 6″ each of 1/4″ Gray Granite Shimmer Ribbon, and Petal Pink ribbon from the 1/8″ Cotton Ribbon Combo Pack. After layering the narrow ribbon on top of the wider one I folded them in half and then fed the cut ends through the hole. Finally I passed the ends through the loops and gently pulled to secure the ribbon in place.

OK I admit that creating the ric-rac strips wasn’t the quickest job I’ve ever done. but I love the results. What’s funny is that while this project was inspired by an earlier one, it has in turn inspired another. I’ll work on that this weekend and bring it to you in a future blog post. Watch this space.

If you’re interested in a card project using the Tropical Layers Dies check out my earlier blog post Layers of green and vanilla.

LAYERS OF SAVINGS!

GET 20% OFF THE MINI STAMPIN’ CUT & EMBOSS MACHINE! – During March you’ll be able to buy the Mini Cut & Emboss Machine at 20% off (while stocks last). I love my mini machine as it’s easy to use and great for smaller projects. The platform is 3-1/2″ wide and so works with many of my dies and embossing folders. In fact Stampin’ Up! makes it easy with a special ‘mini’ icon in the catalogues. If you’ve been considering a die-cutting / embossing machine and have been put off by the price and/or size, this could be exactly what you’ve been waiting for.

PLUS get an EXTRA 10% off selected stamp set & dies bundles to fit the Mini machine from March 1 to 31 (while stocks last). That’s a total discount of 20% on these bundles! Details of this amazing promotion can be found in the Savings Are In Bloom Flyer.

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I ordered the Tropical Layers Dies and coordinating Artfully Layered Stamp Set (not used today) using a single ‘bundle’ item number. This meant I saved 10% off the cost of buying the two items separately. I’ve included both options below in case you want to compare them. Also available as a discounted bundle is the Encircled in Friendship Stamp Set and Encircled in Beauty Dies (not used today).