Every week we send out many cards to clients. Some are welcoming them to the office. Others are congratulations. We always send sympathy cards for the loss of a pet. Most of these cards are hand stamped.
Clients have likely seen information on our dental referral service. I am in a residency program in veterinary dentistry. Why do I like it so much? Dentistry is the best way to improve the lives of pets. It is also the arts and crafts of veterinary medicine. I need to use my art side as well as my science side.
There are times I am overwhelmed with work/family/life. My stress relief/outlet is a half hour of paper crafting – I feel renewed and love that I can admire in a short time something gorgeous I’ve accomplished. Then I am able to get back to the long marathon tasks instead of the almost instant gratification of many paper crafts.
While I am an experienced paper crafter, it’s always fun to learn new techniques. I signed up with Altenew’s classes to view other ideas. These classes are easy for me to view on my phone when I have a few minutes between meetings.
This post is part of a series started many months ago in regards to card creations we are using in the office (and showcasing my creative outlet).
The third class, Easy Die Cutting Techniques, shows ways to use thinlits metal dies. The main way dies are used are to use matching dies with stamps. This can be used on many paper and media types but vellum is quite elegant. Ways to color vellum was also shown. Dies can make stencils. Both the positive and negative die cut results can be used for card designs. One can dry emboss with a die instead of cutting. Multiple layers of positive die cuts can be put together and used as a custom dry embossing plate. Die cuts can be inlaid with many beautiful results.
- The stand alone die, Leafy Garland was used to create this thank you card:
- The words Thank You come from the Build a Flower: Hibiscus set.
- Two leafy garlands are cut from tan and dark brown paper. Partial die cutting was
used to cut the margins of the garland resecting the arch of the card front - The flower from Beautiful Day was stamped with rich cocoa ink.
- Double sided foam adhesive was used to add dimension to the die cut layers and
assemble the card before the ribbon was added. - The dimension and layers with the ribbon texture complete this card.
