Monday, July 25, 2022

Pop Up Gatefold Card

Happy Monday friends!  Kris here with a fun and easy card fold that was a first for me, but certainly won't be my last as I had too much fun with this one!   I thought this was perfect for the new Flowers  in the Strawberries & Bees Release!  I hope you will craft along with me in today's tutorial!

Here are a couple of photos to get us started.  It's easier than it looks and you can make it as simple or detailed as you wish. ☺  This is a 6" square card when folded - and yes it does fold flat to put in an envelope!  



CUTTING AND SCORING:

White Cardstock:
(1)  Cut 6" x 12" - score along the 12" side at 3", 6", & 9"
(2)  Flowers
(1)  5" x 1/2" - score at 1/2" and 4-1/2" 
(1)  4" x 1/2" - score at 1/2" and 3-1/2"
(1)  2" x 1/2" - score at 1/2" and 1-1/2"

Acetate (or you can opt for green cardstock):
(5 or 6)  11" x 1/2"

Patterned Paper:
 6 pieces (2 of each pattern - 4 on front and 2 on back):  2-3/4" x 5-3/4"

Green Cardstock:
Cut (1) 6-7/8" x 2-1/2" and score 1/2" , 3-7/16", and 6-3/8"
(if you want, you can cut the top of that piece with the grass die)
Cut (2) 2-3/4" x 1-1/2" and cut the top edge with the Hills Slimline Die

Dark Pink Cardstock:
Nested Scallop Circles Set:  Die cut middle size 
Flowers:  Die cut 1 or 2

Yellow Cardstock:
Nested Wacky Stitched Circles Set:  Die cut 2nd smallest
Flowers:  Die cut 1 

Purple, Lavendar, Light Pink, Light Orange Cardstock (or colors of your choice!):
Flowers:  Die cut 1 of each

HOW TO:

1.  Fold and burnish your score lines on card base so that the middle score is a valley fold and the 2 ends are mountain folds.

2.  Adhere your patterned papers to the 4 front panels


3.  Adhere 2 more to the back panels.  Leave the middle panels white for your written (or stamped) message.  (If stamping on it, do it now as it will harder to stamp evenly after your get your flowers on the front side.)


4.  With your green middle piece, miter the top edges of your 1/2" flaps as shown below.  You can choose to cut the top with the grass die, leave it straight, or cut it down so it's not sticking up above the fence.  I trimmed my fence down to fit the width between the flaps of the green layer.


5.  With your 3 pieces of 1/2" white strips, using the edge of a bone folder (or other object) run it between the scored lines (like you would with curling ribbon and scissors) to make the strips curve.  


6.  Flattening out the strip just a enough to attach it, glue the flaps across the middle of the backside of your grass piece so that the middle lines up with the scored line of your grass.


7.  Glue flaps of the next largest strip and place it directly on top of your first strip, flattening it down and repeat for the 3rd strip.  It should look like this when standing up.


8.  Add glue to side flaps of grassy layer and adhere to bottom center of card while it's laying flat.  The sides of your grassy layer should be just short of the score lines on card base.


9.  Color your flowers, adding highlights, etc.  You'll want to color some of those white pieces like the flower centers yellow, and the leaves green etc.  


10.  Glue your pieces together. 


11.  Attach acetate strips to the back of your flowers. For the back (tallest) flowers, I cut my strips to 4-3/4" and added Score Tape to the bottom fronts of the strips.  Then I attached them BEHIND the largest curved strip in my card.


12.  For the rest of my flowers, I held the flower in the placement I wanted, marked it with my thumb and pulled it back out and cut the strip where my thumb was.  Then added Score Tape to the bottom and attached the flowers.  

*** You'll want to alternate which side your put your Score Tape on as some flowers will be attached to the BACK of the curves and some will be attached to the FRONT of the curves.  Continue until the whole section is filled in with flowers.


13.  Adhere your green hills, sun, clouds, umbrella and sentiment pieces as shown below.  


OPTIONAL - create a belly band to help hold the card together!

1.  Cut a white strip 12" x 2-1/2" and wrap it around the middle of your card loosely.  Should not be scored first, or wrapped too tightly as you want to be able to slip it off.  The ends will not quite meet in the middle and that's ok.  


2.  Cut (2) pieces of patterned paper 2-3/4" x 2-1/4" and attach to the front side ends of your strip


3.  Die cut (1) of the largest die from the Nested Scallop Circles Set from blue cardstock.

4.  Die cut (1) of the 2nd largest die from the Nested Wacky Stitched Circles Set from white cardsock.

5.  Attach blue scalloped circle to the wrap, making sure not to add glue to the very center of the circle or you'll glue your belly band to your card!  

6.  Attach white circle to the blue and embellish with another flower.



PRODUCTS I USED:







And here's the whole release!

Thank you so much for being here today!  I hope I've inspired you to try this or something else with this fabby release!  Have a wonderful week :) 

~Kristine

Sunday, July 24, 2022

Christmas in July Sale


Hello CottageCutz Friends! We are having a huge Christmas in July sale over in the online store with savings of up to 65% off retail. The sale runs through July 29th. So shop early to get the best buys. 

Today for your viewing pleasure, I am featuring a few cards made with dies that are on sale. 

This card features the Poinsettia & Holly Flower die. It's currently on sale for $6.98 (65% savings). 
This card features the Festive Farm Calf. It's currently on sale for $6.98 (65% savings).
This next slimline card features the High Flying Snowman,($6.98), Santa's Delivery ($8.03) and Snowman w/Woodsy Friends ($6.98). These are all 65% off. 
This card features the Gingerbread Family die currently on sale for $8.03 (65% savings)
This next card features the Santa Gnome w/Silly Reindeer ($6.98) and the Merry Christmas w/Snowflakes ($5.58). These are both 65% off. 
Our last sample features the Baking Spirits Bright die currently on sale for $8.03 (65% savings)

Hope you enjoyed this little trip down memory lane featuring some of the sale dies. There are many more dies on sale in our online store. Drop by and check them out. 




Saturday, July 23, 2022

Buzzin' By

Hello CottageCutz friends! Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit with us today. It's Mary Marsh here bringing you the Saturday edition of the Blog.

It's new release time!!! We have new dies in the online store. It's our Strawberries and Bees release with 16 new designs. You can pick up the individual dies at 30% off.

The new dies are perfect for all your cardmaking needs. They would work for so many occasions as our design team have been showing.

And speaking of sales, we are having a Christmas in July sale with savings of up to 65% off retail. The sale runs through July 29th. So shop early to get the best buys. 

Today for your viewing pleasure, I am featuring the new Bee Gnome and Bee Phrases die. My friend has been sick with a lingering sinus infection and her hubby with complications from Covid. I want them to know I am thinking of them as well as praying for them. So, let's get started with some details on how I created my card. 

Design Steps:

I started my card by stamping my sentiment. It is such a large one that I wasn't sure how many images I would be able to use. I wasn't getting a good image with this stamp even using my MISTI. After wasting several pieces of cardstock, I tried Versafine instant dry pigment ink. That was the ink that worked on this stamp. 

After I stamped the sentiment, I used a Nuvo glitter gloss pen for some interest. It looks splotchy in some of the photos but IRL it's a nice even sparkle. 

Daffodil Yellow Card Base: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" 
Black Layering Panel:  3 7/8" x 5 1/8"
Daffodil Image Panel: 3 5/8" x 4 7/8"
Next, I cut the images from cardstock. For the gnome wings I used velum and then shaded with some tumbled glass distress ink. I was going to use the hive from the Bee Gnome die But I thought the gnome would be perfect with the sentiment wording. He looks like he is saying "hi" and bringing some flower love!
My elements are prepared I am ready to start card assembly. I secured the image panel to the black layering panel with double sided tape. The gnome is attached with dimensional adhesive. 
I laid out the honeycombs until I was satisfied with their placement and then secured them with Art glitter glue (clear drying). For a little added interest, I paper pieced some dotted designer paper in the honeycombs. 
To finish off my card, I attached the panels to the card base and scattered a few sequins and black enamel dots. That's it for me for this week. I hope I have given you a fresh idea for these new dies. see you next Saturday!
Reminder: Our YouTube Channel has a new video from Linh Van. There is a giveaway for being a subscriber, liking the video and leaving a comment. Click here.

Dies I used to create card:





Friday, July 22, 2022

Faux Embossing with Dies










Hi everyone! My name is Linh and I'm honored and excited to be here as a guest designer. I have a new video up on the CottageCutz YouTube Channel. I've used a couple of die sets from the Strawberry & Bees Collection to create a faux embossed panel using on this sweet and simple card.


Watch this video to see how I create this wonderful texture as the background for my card.






Thursday, July 21, 2022

So Berry Sweet Gnome Card

Happy ThursDIE Cottage Cutz Friends!
Melinda here with you on on this Terrific Thursday! I hope you are enjoying your week thus far and if you are state side...hopefully you are beating the heat! Staying in and crafting is always a great refreshing way to relax in these dog days of summer! Today I am sharing a very simple but sweet card I created featuring dies from the new Strawberries and Bees release

The focal point of this simply sweet card is the adorable little Strawberry Gnome Girl Die. She is part of the new Strawberries and Bees release. I also used the Berry Phrases Die from the same release. My finished card size is a standard top folding A4 size. The base is white cardstock and then I added a piece of red cardstock. To that, I added a mat of some patterned strawberry paper. I designed the paper and printed it out. I purposely made the strawberries on the paper tiny so they wouldn't be disproportionate to the rest of the composition.

Here's a closeup of that sweet little Strawberry Gnome Girl.

She was very easy to assemble. I just cut all her pieces out in white and then colored them in. That really is my favorite thing to do. Coloring your die pieces is very relaxing. She comes together very easily and is so sweet.

Here's another view of her closeup. Once I assembled her, I added some foam tape to give her a little lift off the mats. I used a pink and red cardstock mat and put those on top of Wacky Stitched mat. I added just a tiny touch of stickles to the centers of her hairbows and the centers of the little flowers on her berry hat.

Here's a closeup of the sweet title and two berries. I did the same with the title pieces. I cut them all out in white and then colored them in. 



Dies I Used






Be sure to check it out and all the amazing creations from the design team!


Also, don't forget to head over to the CottageCutz YouTube channel and check out all of the amazing projects on there. Our video team is doing a wonderful job of filling the channel with all sorts of creative content! You don't want to miss it!


Well that about covers it for today! Until the next time, have a wonderfully craft-die day!
Melinda Beltran