Papertrey Ink Design Team Tips: Contour Cut Sentiments

Good morning, friends! I'm popping in this morning with a Papertrey Ink Design Team Tips post that I hope you're going to love. Adding a sentiment can sometimes pose a tricky challenge. You may not want to cover up your focal point with a banner or sentiment strip, but stamping directly on the card front doesn’t always work with the design. My solution is simple - just die cut around it! In today's post I’m sharing my favorite way to add a greeting that doesn’t get in the way and adds a unique detail to my projects.

Let's get started with this birthday card.

The focal point (the butterfly) is strong and colorful, so I didn't want to just stamp a simple greeting on the card front. This sentiment needed to be bold so it wouldn't get lost, but I still wanted to keep it neutral to really allow the butterfly to shine.

I decided to create a Smokey Shadow sentiment strip that I could carry the whole width of the card. Here's how I made that happen.

I started with a panel of white copy paper cut to the same size as my card front. I taped the butterfly die into place with washi and then layered the copy paper on top of the cardstock before running them through my die cut machine.

When it comes through the other side I have two panels with the butterfly die cut in the same place on both.

I set my cardstock panel aside and use my copy paper panel as a template for die cutting the sentiment strip. I simply lay the strip on the paper panel and then tape the butterfly die in the same place (I just shift it around until it "fits" in the negative) before running it through my die cut machine a second time. The result is a sentiment strip that lines up perfectly straight with the die cut on the front of my card.

To create the rest of the card, I painted a watercolor panel to tuck behind the negative butterfly on the front of the card. I also die cut and heat embossed a Butterfly Kisses butterfly to nest inside the larger butterfly.

I finished the sentiment strip by heat embossing the greeting from Keep It Simple: Birthday III in white and then filling in around it using the same image in black. The white pops and the rest of the text adds interest to the strip. I used foam tape to attach the card front to the base and flat adhesive to add the sentiment strip.

Supplies:

Butterfly Kisses Stamp Set	Keep It Simple: Birthday III Mini Stamp Set	Smokey Shadow Cardstock	Stamper's Select Vellum
Cougar Digital Choice Super Smooth 100lb Cover, White	Distress Watercolor Cardstock	True Black Ink	Versamark Ink Pad
Life Is Beautiful Die Collection	Butterfly Kisses Die	White Filigree Detail Embossing Powder	Kuretake Gansai Tambi Water Colors
Scotch Foam Tape

InLinkz.com

I have another card to share that incorporates a banner rather than a strip.

As I was planning this card, I realized that I wouldn't have room to stamp the sentiment onto the card front as the branch takes up too much room. Rather than shift the branch further off the side of the card, I chose to add a banner that would overhang (I'll need to either give this card in a larger envelope or glassine bag as a result of the overhang, but I'm fine with that).

I used the same steps to trim my banner to contour to the branch. Then I heat embossed the Keep It Simple: Sending Hugs sentiment with white powder and set it aside. Next, I sponged a Rustic White card base with Spring Moss ink and added Ripe Avocado speckles (I diluted a few times to get a variation in color).

I die cut a piece of Kraft cardstock with the Edgers #1 die to add a decorative edge and then stamped it with one of the strips in Ombré Borders using Ripe Avocado ink. I adhered that to the previously cut card front and tied a bow using a bit of Rustic Cream button twine. Then, I used foam tape to adhere the card front to the base.

Finally, I adhered the sentiment banner into place with a bit of flat adhesive. I just attached it at the very end (near the leaf) and then curled it a little with my fingers to give it some dimension.

Supplies:

Keep It Simple: Sending Hugs Mini Stamp Set	Ombré Builders Stamp Set	Rustic White Cardstock	Ripe Avocado Cardstock
Classic Kraft Cardstock	Spring Moss Ink	Ripe Avocado Ink	Versamark Ink Pad
Branching Out Die	Double Ended Banner Die	Edgers #1 Die Collection	Rustic Cream Button Twine
White Filigree Detail Embossing Powder	Scotch Foam Tape	Ranger Mini Ink Blending Foam	Ranger Mini Ink Blending Tool

InLinkz.com

So there you have it - contour cut sentiments! I hope you've enjoyed today's post. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!