Playing with cutting dies

Did you know, that a cutting die isn´t just a cutting die - but can also be an embossing tool?!

Though I knew it, I never tried it myself - until now....

1) For today´s project I cut red cirlce-strips with a border die and adhered it to my card. 

2) Then I put my silicone shim UNDER my card so that the die would not cut through the card but only leave an impression... you have to play a little with the correct thickness of your stack of plates and shims depending on what embossing machine you have.

And this is my result:

An aunt of mine will need a surgery in about 2 weeks and I need a card to ensure her, that we think of her and care about her....

She was the one who taught me to sew, when I was a child - so every time I think of her, I have a sewing or seamstress theme in mind...

This is what I came up with:

I´d like to participate in these challenges with my card:

Moxie Fab Word Die Cutting Challenge

Papertrey Ink´s Make it Monday Challenge (using border dies for creating a background)

Thanks for visiting me today!

Embossing in cutting dies

What? Embossing what? In cutting dies? 

Ok, I´ll clear up the mystery: did you notice this detail on my last card?

I used a Spellbinders cutting die and embossed the die cut while it was still in the die. 

Does everybody know how to do this without harming the embossing folder? 

If not, here´s how:

1) die cut any shape you like

2) turn it over and lay it onto the flat side of an embossing folder

3) put a silicone shim and an embossing plate on top - leave the embossing folder OPEN!

4) walk it through the embossing machine - turn it over and voilá!

A perfectly embossed piece with a small frame all around thanks to the cutting die!

As I´m NO fan of wintertime, I decided to use it for a very bright-colored card...

(Linda, thanks again for the very beautiful pin(s)!!!)

I´d like to enter it into these challenges:

Die Cutting Challenge on the Moxie Fab World

CR84FN Color Challenge

Card Sketch Challenge at The Craft´s Meow

Thanks for stopping by today!

15th Anniversary & homemade envelopes

Today is our 15th Wedding Anniversary!

As I was absolutely in love with the card I made for Tom last year, it was really hard for me to come up with something I like at least roughly the same...but then I saw the gorgeous papers from the Lost & Found collection by My Mind´s Eye and instantly bought the Breeze "Boyish" Handsome Paper.

So here´s this year´s card - quite CAS :

I made an envelope too, so that I can participate in the CAS-ual Fridays´ challenge (card with a coordinating envelope)

A while ago I wondered, if I should buy more envelope dies, because I love the one that I have so much (the mini envelope die by Papertrey Ink) - but those envelope dies (doesn´t matter which company) are really expensive here! And I would still have only some certain sizes. 

So I decided to make all my future envelopes myself - it´s so easy! Just a matter of a few minutes!

My dear friend Dj told me that she likes to make huge cards up to 6" x 7-1/2". So I wondered, how I would do an envelope for such a card, so that the points come together right .... I thought it would be best to measure the dimensions of the card and make some pencil marks on a 12"x12" paper before scoring...

I made a small drawing to explain, what I mean - the card is represented by the yellow sticky note:

I would score along the sides of the card then, fold the paper and cut off the needless corners.

Does anyone of you have another or better idea to do this?

******** Vegetarians : skip this following sentence! ***********

Ok, I´ve to "fleet" to the kitchen now - preparing our anniversary-dinner: salmon toast with Prosecco and steaks with potatoes - yummy!

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Thanks for stopping by today!

Free Digital Supplies

Hi all!

for those of you, who like to use digital products in their projects - I´ve a quick tip:

when I started digital Scrapbooking 3 years ago, the first company I found was "Scrap Girls" - and I love them!
If you don´t know them by now, check them out - they´ve awesome freebies every day - and I love to read their newsletter every day!
AND - there´s a new digital kit for FREE on their site!

Here are the links:

http://store.scrapgirls.com/product/22444/1-Scrap-Girls-A-Narrative-Collection  ... free kit

http://store.scrapgirls.com/category/21/Freebies   ... freebies site

Enjoy!