Tree of Life

Hi Cottage Cutz fans!  It's Jeanne today.  The card I have for you goes together quickly and is perfect if you love sparkle!  I've used the Spring Tree of Life die which is so sweet and makes a wonderful focal point for a lovely background.

I love to play with inks while creating backgrounds.  For this card  I used Distress Oxide inks and blended stripes going from green through a blue-violet.

When I was happy with my blend, I cut a rectangle for my card front 4  x 5 1/4 inches.  I decided my blend would go side to side rather than top to bottom.

I cut a white card base 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches, folded in half  to 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches (A2).  I also cut a panel 4 1/4  x 5 1/2 inches from a glitter cardstock.  I wanted this to be a sparkly border  for my blended panel.

Most items do not adhere well to glitter cardstock.  In order for my blended panel to be placed over the glitter cardstock and still stick in place, I used an old trick.  I took a large rectangle die and made my glitter panel into a frame.  By doing this I can glue my blended panel to the front of the card, not the glitter.  I used the largest of the Double Stitched Rectangle dies, but any of the rectangular dies that is fairly large will work - the Cross-Stitched Rectangles, the Stitched Rectangles, etc.  You could even use an oval!  As an added bonus you have a nice size scrap of glitter cardstock to use for something else.

Using Whisper White cardstock, I cut the sentiment from the Happy Easter Egg and the main image from Spring Tree of Life dies.

Then I carefully snipped the sentiment from the egg.

I used a shimmer pen to add some glitz to the sentiment and the Tree of Life images.

I used two coats for extra sparkle.  Then I adhered both to the blended panel.  Finally I added some clear glitter enamel dots to the side of the sentiment.

This card really shines in person.

Easter is approaching quickly - be sure to visit the website to see all the new Spring and Easter dies!  They are on sale for 25% off for a limited time!

Dies used on today's card:

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you have a peaceful and creative weekend!

One Die Used Five Ways - Spring Tree of Life

Hello! I hope today finds you happy and in a creative spirit.

In today's video, I've demonstrated five different cards using the same new spring 2018 die, Spring Tree of Life. I really love CottageCutz's single pass dies and when I saw this one in the new release, I couldn't wait to use it.

Why do I love this style so much? Let me count the ways. First, they are super quick to cut. Just one pass through your machine and they're ready to use on your project. Second, they have such amazing detail! The art is always exquisite. Third, you can use them in so many ways and get so many different presentations out of them. How many? A lot. The video today shows five but I'm sure you can think of even more. The photo below shows my favorite of the set. I flocked the die cut for a soft and unique look. The others are different styles and size and include a few other spring dies as well.

Click on the thumbnail below or on this link to access the video.

I hope you get some great ideas to inspire you in your creative journey. Have a fantastic day!

Janet
SugarShine Designs

Dies Used In Today's Video:

Easter Morning

Hi, Lois here today.  I'm hoping that winter is over here in Florida.  I don't do well in the cold!  To keep my spirits up, I've been enjoying playing with the new release of Easter/Spring dies from CottageCutz.  Be sure to check them out over on the website while they're 25% off.  My card today uses the Spring Tree of Life die.

I wanted to try a bit of background sponging on my card to depict a sunrise, so I cut the image from white cardstock -- which would not take away from the background.

Using sponges, I made my background from Ranger Distress inks -- Scattered Straw, Wild Honey, Worn Lipstick, Milled Lavender, and Tumbled Glass.  I wanted the sun to be in the lower right-hand corner, so I slanted the colors.

I then laid my die-cut onto the sponged background and marked the edges.

I trimmed the panel slightly inside the pencil marks and glued down the diecut.

Then I cut my card base:

Purple - 8 1/2" x 5 1/2"

Pale yellow patterned paper (a watercolor wash) - 4" x 5 1/4"

Lining up my yellow paper in my MISTI stamp positioner, I stamped my Easter greeting . . .

. . . and constructed my card, placing the die-cut piece at an angle.

I cut a frame from the same purple cardstock as the base and added strips of foam tape to the back.

I then mounted the frame on top of my die-cut -- and I was finished.

CottageCutz dies used on my card are: