Hello, Crafters.
I hope you are all well and enjoying this beautiful Easter weekend! Yesterday I finally took time out to look after my fingernails. It must be about five weeks since I last saw Sharon and my nails were looking bad. By the time I had finished, they looked a whole lot better than before but not a patch on what they look like after a visit to Sharon! Fortunately, she put care kits together for her clients to use during the lockdown.
When I started to work on a card for today, the idea of partial fussy cutting popped into my mind! I can’t recall ever having seen anyone do this but I’m firmly of the opinion that there isn’t anything new in cardmaking, i.e. everything is a variation of a theme. The nearest technique to my “new” technique is partial die-cutting, and this is probably where my idea came from because I was talking about it with a crafty friend a couple of days ago.
The Designer Series Paper (DSP) I chose to use is the Ornate Garden Specialty DSP, and the design is white with a floral design in gold foiling. I studied the flowers on the 12″ x 12″ sheet and found what I was looking for in the centre of the sheet. It surprised me that there were very few flowers that could be used for my technique because most of them had flowers or leaves overlapping them!
I used a ruler to draw two pencil lines about an inch apart all the way from top to bottom but avoiding the two flowers I would be fussy cutting. Using my trimmer, I cut on both lines, above and below the flowers. Still using my trimmer, I cut in from the sides without cutting into the flowers so I could get close enough to them to do the fussy cutting!
I don’t think it is obvious that the two main flowers are attached to the strip or if they have been completely fussy cut and adhered over the strip. At some time I need to make this card again but colouring the flowers and leaves, to see if this will make the partial fussy cutting any more noticeable. It would also be interesting to see just the main two flowers coloured to see what effect that gives!
I layered the strip with some wider strips of Gold Foil Sheets, and adhered it to a top layer of Whisper White Cardstock (CS) I’d dry embossed using the Subtles Dynamic/3D Embossing Folder. Although I hadn’t thought about a sentiment beforehand, I decided this had to be a wedding card. The sentiment BEST WISHES ON YOUR JOYFUL DAY is from the Path of Petals Stamp Set, and I heat embossed it in gold on a piece of Whisper White CS.
I added a top layer of Whisper White CS and a second layer of Gold Foil inside the card. To add a decoration I fussy cut another flower from the DSP. After I had adhered it in the bottom right-hand corner, I decided to paint it using my Clear Wink of Stella Glitter pen. It made the flower look quite a bit darker, so I decided to paint the two partial fussy cut flowers on the front of the card. For the first time ever, the Wink of Stella is showing up beautifully in the photographs!
I finished the front of the card by adding a vertical line of three Gold Metallic Pearls in the top right-hand corner. By the way, the die I used for the sentiment is the no. 2 die from the Stitched So Sweetly Dies and has been popped up on Dimensionals. That’s it from me today. I look forward to being back with you tomorrow. Please take care and stay safe. Happy crafting.
JanB. xx
Cardstock Layer Sizes: A4
Card base 8¼” x 5¾” scored and folded at 4 1/8”
First layer: 2 pieces 3 7/8” x 5½”
Top layer: 2 pieces 3¾” x 5 3/8”
Cardstock Layer Sizes: Letter-size
Card base 8½” x 5½” scored and folded at 4¼”
First layer: 2 pieces 4” x 5¼”
Top layer: 2 pieces 3 7/8” x 5 1/8”
Products used for this project: please click on any of the links to be taken to my 24/7 online Stampin’ Up! shop. The Hostess Code for APRIL 2020 is JWUHZ4J7. Thank you. xx
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As always Jan, a lovely card but it is your fussy cutting that I am writing about. Frankly – how do you do it. Those 2 flowers looks like they have been die cut. None of my fussy cut flowers ever look “professional”. May I ask for Fussy Cutting to be added to your video list. I would certainly appreciate it. XXX M
Many thanks, Mal. I don’t know what to say! LOL! The first thing to remember about fussy cutting is to move the paper while upu’re cutting not your scissors. Apart from aiming to leave the same width white border all around, the only other advice I ever give is never leave any pointed bits – they’re a real giveaway that something has been fussy cut! Even at the tips of leaves cut the tip as a slight curve, never a point. I’ll try to include a demo in one of my forth-coming videos! xx
Morning Jan. Well I have been doing a few things incorrectly when fussy cutting. I do move the scissors (but now know to move the paper) and I have definitely been leaving pointed ends. Think today I will stamp out on a 12×12 sheet and practice practice practice before cutting into my DSP. Thanks Jan. I know that I can always rely on your expertise to help improve my crafting. Blessings galore. XX M
Hi, Mal. Tomorrow’s (Thursday) card will give you some practice!! 😁 xx
First, let me say this is the most beautiful card I’ve ever seen. Definitely something I would want to CASE (not that your others aren’t). And I absolutely love you putting the dimensions at the end of your posts. On this one, I am confused by the dimensions you posted, though. When you say “first layer” and “second layer”, I assume the first layer is the gold foil sheet for the inside and outside? and the “second layer” is what? For the inside I can understand those dimensions are the white layer but for the outside/front I am confused. It looks like the gold is a small piece on the sides and that the floral center piece is adhered right onto the base but there are no dimensions for those “pieces”.
You do put in a lot of work on your cards and instructions for us and I Thank You for that.
Many thanks, Barbara. I have amended the names I have given the layers – they are now top layer and middle layer, so the middle layer is between the top layer and card base. It’s important to me that you always enjoy your visits to my blog and the last thing I want to do is to cause confusion! For the partially die-cut Designer Series Paper, I drew two pencil lines an inch apart from top to bottom, and the Gold Foil sheet under the DSP is 1 1/8″ wide by 3 3/4″ tall. I hope that explains it. Now that I’ve started putting the measurements of the card bases and layers, I’ll try and remember to do the other pieces that aren’t die-cuts. I appreciate your feedback on this, Barbara. 💖 xx