Category: Die Cutting

Categories
Designer Series Paper Die Cutting Project layers Texture

Check out 3 “Irresistible” projects to send to friends today!

three images using flowers, gorgeous fonts, and fun colors.
The Hello, Irresistible collection projects I made on Facebook Live this week.

Have you checked out the new Online Exclusives from Stampin’ Up!? One of my favorites is the “Hello, Irresistible” collection – it has stamps and dies along with coordinating Designer Series Paper and Loose Frosted Dots. <swoon> I have teamed up with two amazing demonstrators, Stampin’ With Leah and Life Is Good, Stamp On to host a Stamp Camp on April 1 using this beautiful collection – make sure you are registered by March 11! To show even more about WHY you need this collection, I decided to use it for this week’s Facebook Live. I created three cards that I think you’re going to love!

A peek at some of the new products Stampin’ Up! released this week. The pictures on the left are items in the Hello, Irresistible collection!

First, I designed this soft, sweet card. I think the Soft Sea Foam and Petal Pink combo is gorgeous, and the delicate leaf dies and the “beaded curtain” die add so much texture. As usual, the splatter stamp is one of my favorites from the set – I used it here to make the background less flat without distracting from the beautiful flowers and sentiment. I love how easy it is to build a bouquet with the stamped images and die cuts! The toughest part of this card is getting your Stampin’ Cut & Emboss machine to cooperate on camera with the beaded curtain die – since I didn’t want to cut it out entirely (as it was designed), I had to be very careful with placing the die and cardstock on the cutting plates. See the video for details.

Second, I created this beautiful project. Based on a layout I CASEd from Ange McKay, the North Shore Stamper, I used the Soft Sea Foam leaf pattern of Designer Series Paper for the background, added a splash of color with the Flirty Flamingo mat, and layered on the Flirty Flamingo and Daffodil Delight floating flowers pattern. A banner with a sweet sentiment, a bright Flirty Flamingo flower, and five Frosted Dots create a lovely but relatively simple project.

Finally, I just had to share this awesome fun fold. I CASEd it from a project my upline, Erica Cerwin over at Pink Buckaroo Designs, did with us for a training in January. While it has a lot of pieces and can stand on its own, it folds down to fit into a regular envelope. So, with a little extra postage, you can totally mail this knock-out card to someone special! For the sample in the photographs, I used the Enjoy the Journey Designer Series Paper. Generally speaking, I prefer brighter colors for my projects. However, the color combo for the Hello, Irresistible DSP is gorgeous, so I had to make this card again using the color palette from the new DSP. Check out the video for the final result!

I hope you love the projects I shared this week! I would love it if you registered for my Stamp Camp – you can get all the details and register here. And let me know if you have any questions or fun ideas for using the Hello, Irresistible collection in your own crafting!

Categories
Die Cutting Dry Embossing Tools

Top Tips for Success when Die Cutting and Dry Embossing with the Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine

Stampin' Cut & Emboss and Mini Cut & Emboss machines at work cutting out stamped images with coordinating dies for die cutting cardstock
Die cutting and dry embossing are easy with the Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machines!

Have you met the Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine? This machine makes die cutting and dry embossing easy, all with one machine. It is a hefty but elegant piece of equipment that will drastically improve your card-making game! It is an investment, but once you have it, you’ll never look back!

Stampin' Cut & Emboss and Mini Cut & Emboss machines at work cutting out stamped images with coordinating dies for die cutting cardstock
Die cutting and dry embossing are easy with the Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machines!

However, there is also a MINI Cut & Emboss Machine! It is the perfect size for taking with you to crafting events, in the RV, or wherever else you like to take your crafting. At half the price of the full-size machine, the Mini C&E provides great value without sacrificing much functionality – the only tools that won’t work are the full-size embossing folders and some of the largest dies.

To have your machine do both die cutting and dry embossing, it includes several plates of different thicknesses.  These plates help adapt your cardstock and tools to fit the machine so you successfully create the desired effect with a single pass.  Let’s take a look.

What is especially nice about the included plates is that they have instructions printed on them, so you’ll never wonder which piece goes with what! Your combination of plates, cardstock, and tool creates your “sandwich”, which then runs through the machine with the hand crank.

  • Die cutting: Plate 1, Plate 2, Plate 3, cardstock, die (with cutting edge down), and Plate 3
  • Dry embossing with a regular embossing folder: Plate 1, Plate 3, Embossing Folder with cardstock, Plate 3
  • Dry embossing with a 3D embossing folder: Plate 1, 3D Embossing Folder with cardstock, Plate 4

As every machine is slightly different, over time you’ll get to know what your machine needs to be successful. Here are some tips for troubleshooting:

  • If your sandwich is too thick to crank through the machine, and you’ve already double-checked that you’re using the recommended plates, you may need to try removing Plate 2
  • If your sandwich goes through without enough pressure, your cardstock won’t be effectively cut/embossed. Sometimes, adding a “shim”, such as another piece of cardstock or even simple printer paper, will be all you need to do. Other times, you may need to swap out plates to make the sandwich thick enough.
  • If your sandwich is perfect, but it seems like you can’t get the plates to catch in the roller, you may need to EITHER stagger the front edges of the plates OR align them flush with each other.

Sound like there’s not a definite answer?! As I said, you’ll learn what your machine needs, so don’t give up on it! If you’ve tried all these suggestions to no avail, contact your demonstrator or go directly to Stampin’ Up!’s customer support. On the rare occasion that there is something wrong with your machine, it does come with a warranty of 3 years, and one of the many things I love about Stampin’ Up! is that they stand behind their products 100%.

Here are several other tips to help you craft successfully with your Cut & Emboss Machine.

  • If you find your cardstock cracking when dry embossing, spritz the cardstock lightly with water before putting it into the embossing folder
  • Run the embossing folder through the machine hinge-first
  • Make sure the die cutting edge is down on the cardstock
  • Use washi tape or post-it notes to secure your die to your stamped image so that nothing shifts as you run it through the machine
  • Dies with straight edges can cause a loud cracking sound if put through the machine improperly; for shapes like a square or rectangle, try putting the die on the plate so that the shape goes through at an angle (this also improves die cutting results). For very detailed dies, you may need to take more than one pass through the machine. In this case, I like to carefully rotate the die and cardstock on the plate after the first pass, as this changes the distribution of pressure on the die and leads to a more defined cut.
  • Storing your plates rolled halfway into the machine will help minimize the warping/curving that occurs to the clear plates over time.
  • Don’t wait too long to replace those clear plates! Eventually, clear plates appear almost white from all the cut marks, and these marks can also leave an imprint your cardstock. You may also notice that bits of cardstock stuck in the cuts transfers to the cardstock you are using for your current project.

If you’ve found these tips and tricks helpful, make sure to follow me on YouTube to see more techniques in action!