One of the things I love about Stampin’ Up! products is the coordination. They make it so easy to put projects together. Colours used on Designer Series Paper (DSP) is listed in the catalogue and on the packs. These match with the card , ink, ribbon and other accessories. Sometimes they go even further and match DSP patterns with stamp images and dies or punches. Well yesterday while creating today’s project the gears finally engaged and forced me to change my project design.

I’ve already told you in an earlier blog post that the Garage Gears Thinlits Dies not only coordinate with the Geared Up Garage Stamp Set, but also with the Classic Garage DSP. I mentioned the tool box, the car, and the oil can images. But what I never noticed until yesterday was that every single one of the gears dies match with the paper too. Look!

A PROMISE KEPT

But I’m getting ahead of myself… A few weeks ago I made a gift tag using the Geared Up Garage Stamp Set and Garage Gears Thinlits Dies. Afterwards I mentioned that the tag could probably be used on a card front. So yesterday I set out to do just that.

I had the tag in front of me and started it in exactly the same way.

Using my Big Shot and Magnetic Platform I cut some Thick Very Vanilla Card using the #C4 die from the Rectangle Stitched Framelits. Then using Gray Granite ink I stamped the ‘oil spill’ image three times. I punched an oval hole at the top with the Detailed Trio Punch and then tied on a piece of the Black/Silver Striped Metallic Ribbon.

Next I stamped the ‘Best Dad’ sentiment with Bermuda Bay ink onto a scrap of Thick Very Vanilla Card. This was cut out with the coordinating die. Next, using the same die, I cut out some Silver Foil Sheet. Then I took the silver frame and inserted the sentiment, securing the pieces together on the back with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

For my background layer I decided to turn to the Classic Garage 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper (DSP). I pulled out all the sheets and eventually settled on a nice grey abstract background. As I already had the dies out I cut it using the #C7 die from the Rectangle Stitched Framelits.

GEARS OR COGS? IT DIDN’T MATTER

I’m never sure of the difference between gears and cogs, but whatever they are, that’s what I needed next. In fact I all I wanted was the large die-cut gears and I’d be ready to put the card front together.

It was at this point I noticed some of the gear dies next to a sheet of the gears patterned DSP and it made me wonder. So I took a sheet of the paper over to the Big Shot and started cutting. By the time I’d finished I had proved all the dies fitted, and I had my large gears image too. Bonus!

I could now start putting the card together.

I began by cutting and scoring a piece of Thick Very Vanilla Card using my Stampin’ Trimmer. Then I folded the card along the scored line and sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder. With Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) I attached the grey background layer. Then I added the tag base with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

The die-cut gears came next, attached to the tag with liquid glue and slightly overhanging the Very Vanilla Rectangle. In fact I needed to support the edge of the red gear with a little bit of a Stampin’ Dimensional.

Finally I added the assembled sentiment and the front of the card was complete.

WASTE NOT WANT NOT

My little experiment with the dies and the Designer Series Paper had left me with a little pile of smaller gears. So I decided that I could use some of them for the inside of the card.

Using liquid glue I fixed three gears in the bottom right corner of a layer of Very Vanilla Card. Then I added the layer to the inside of the card.

Then I thought the small dies might get caught in the mailing machine if I stuck them on an envelope so I went with a different option.

I used liquid glue to attach some of the grey background design DSP to the flap of a Very Vanilla Medium Envelope. Then I used Paper Snips to cut it to shape following the edge of the envelope flap. My project was finally finished.

When I started out I’d thought that I’d copy the original tag exactly and simply add it to a card base and background. Of course as so often happens, once the gears finally started turning I ended up with something a little different. Now I’m not sure which I like best, but those colourful gears certainly do brighten up the card, don’t you think?

You can see the original tag that inspired today’s card in my blog post Masculine Gift Tag or Card in Progress?

You’ll find more ideas using products from the Classic Garage Suite, in these earlier blog posts:

• Classic Garage Accessories Sneak Peek
• Classic Garage Suite Sneak Peek
• Garage Gears for Girls

BUNDLE BONUS

I purchased the Geared Up Garage Stamp Set and Garage Gears Thinlits Dies 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 in my product list below.

Also available in a discounted bundle is the Rectangle Stitched Framelits. These dies can be purchased together with the Amazing Life Stamp Set (not used today) and you’ll find a link to that bundle too.

PRODUCT LIST