Dies

I probably don't need to explain the operation of cutting dies to the majority of my blog visitors. So let's go beyond cutting beautiful shapes from card stock and talk about other uses for our die collection. 

Although not new, one of the simpler uses for your dies is dry embossing. If you have a rubber or foam mat for your die cutting machine, then it's a simple matter of running everything through to emboss the design on your card stock without actually cutting. This is particularly effective with large background dies and latticework. If you don't have a rubber mat you can achieve the same result by pressing the reverse side of your card stock into the die with a ball tool. It's a bit more time consuming but still worth the effort.

Your dies can also do double duty as a stencil. They work great with inks, sprays and paints by acting as a mask to prevent the laying down of colour. You can also use texture paste with them to create a raised area on your journals, cards and scrapbook pages.

Now let's talk about the different types of items that can be cut with dies... most of us stick with the traditional card stock that we're familiar with, but have a go with vellum, mirror card and fabric. Wool felt is a fabulous textile to cut and can be made into awesome decorations at this time of the year.

As with everything, play, practice and experiment! We're sure you'll find some new uses for your dies that you haven't thought of before. Don't forget to share your results with us... the good ones and the learning experiences.