Learn two easy ways to make custom paper for die cuts!

Today’s beautiful card comes to us from Melinda and we are so excited to learn her tips to make custom paper for die cuts so every card you create can be uniquely your design! Melinda says “I just love this butterfly die – it gets a ton of use in my craft room. I also knew I wanted to use some other items in my craft stash that haven’t been getting as much use like this fun embossing powder.” So she combined her urge to play with the details on this die and – voila – this card design was born!

Start by ink blending any inks in whatever colors inspire you onto a white piece of card stock. Spatter a bit of water for texture. Really have fun with this and don’t worry about making it “perfect” because you will be making die cuts from it so each variation will melt into the smaller elements.

Die cut the solid butterfly from the ink blended panel.

Now, flip the scrap of ink blended paper over – remember, we LOVE using up our scraps! – and swipe an embossing ink pad such as Versamark across it. Sprinkle whatever embossing powder you wish and heat set. You will note that Melinda did NOT apply her powder evenly, which was very intentional. This uneven application provides that beautiful speckled look.

Die cut the top layer of the butterfly from the embossed piece. PRO TIP: experiment with positioning your detailed die to get the look you want for your die cut element. You might be surprised at how many different effects you can create by arranging your die cut pieces from your custom papers.

Glue the butterfly pieces together and set aside.

Now cut a frame from white card stock using The Scallop Frame die set. Take the inner panel and use our Tree Branch stencil with Beachside Color Fuse ink from Set #9 to add details to the piece. PRO TIP: Apply the ink with different degrees of pressure to create that beautiful variation of shading with the stenciled design.

Adhere the stenciled panel to your card base and then pop up the frame with foam tape.

To give your butterfly some lift, add some pieces of foam tape to the butterfly wings and then liquis glue to the center of the body. This helps the wings stick up just a bit and makes the butterfly look poised to take flight.

Stamp the Thinking of You sentiment from the Poetic Peonies set on a scrap strip of white card stock and trim it close. Melinda used a ruler to adhere it under the butterfly in the center of her card.

And there you have it – an absolutely delightful die cut element made from your very own custom paper designs! Imagine ALL the possibilities!

Here are the things from our store that Melinda used today:

We really hope you try these tips make custom paper for die cuts on your own projects. As we mentioned, there are limitless opportunities for you to play around and come up with gorgeous designs that you can use on your cards using just about anything in your craft stash!