Happy New Year blogger friends!
This is my first post for this year.
I have a gatefold heart card to share today using Marianne's Anja's Border Elegant die to make the gatefold part.
Entering in these challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge - #1 AG
Aud Sentiments - #219 AG
Cardz for Galz - #88 Dimensional Elements
CRAFT - #498 Love/Valentines
Crafting From the Heart - #235 AAG
Crafting With Friends - #78 AAG
Creafty Creations - #383 AAG
Crafty Gals Corner - #183 Make It Sparkle
Creative Moments - #161 AAG
Cut It Up - #166 Hearts
Dies R Us - #113 Anything New*
Digi Choosday - #3 AG
Jo's Scrap Shack - #266 AAG (Won Top 3!)
My Time to Craft - #389 All You Need is Love
Polkadoodles - #4 AAG
QKR Stampede - #332 AAG
Dies R Us * A New Technique
I saw a card like this on Pinterest months ago and have been trying to find a tutorial on how to make it. I guess Marianne has one on her Facebook page, but it's from 2015 and I searched, but couldn't find it. Then I found another gal, Thea Wildeman, and she has a tutorial, but it's originally in Danish I think, (you can go
here to read it) and the translation was very hard to understand and I read it over, and over, and over and finally the lightbulb went on and I figured out how they did it! And here's mine. (Scroll down for tutorial)
I tried to emphasize the heart shape a little better (and to add some bling!) by highlighting some of the embossing around the heart with a sakura gelly roll glitter pen (clear star). A little hard to see.
The original dimensions from Thea were #1, in centimeters, and #2, I couldn't figure out where to score it, so I came up with my own.
I actually have 2 sizes and you can decide which works best for you.
The 1st size is a little easier to align the die with the paper, but it leaves a lip at the top and bottom. The card I made above is size 2 because I didn't like the lip.
You'll need 3 pcs of card stock as follows:
Size 1: Size 2:
2 - 5 7/16" x 3 3/16" 2 - 5 1/4" x 3 3/16"
1 - 5 7/16" x 5 7/16" 1 - 5 1/4" x 5 1/4"
(**5 7/16" is 1/16" over 5 1/2.)
Using the 1st size, tape the die to the right side of the paper, cutting side face down against the paper.
You'll notice the top, bottom, and right sides of the edges of the die align perfectly with the edge of the paper.
This is the left side of the front flap, cut and emboss as usual.
Tip: I use washi tape to adhere the die to the paper after I stuck it to my arm and took it off so it's not quite so tacky. I've ruined paper removing tape from the paper because it was too sticky.
The right side of the die will cut the right side of the paper, except for the small pieces at the top and bottom. Remove the die from the paper and snip off at the top and bottom and tap the die to remove the cut pieces. Should look like this:
For the right side, align and cut exactly the same as the left side, but don't emboss, yet. Again, remove the die, snip and tap and remove pieces.
Now, turn the paper over so the cut side is facing left; and turn the die over so the smooth side is facing down and the cutting side is facing up and place on the paper and align the holes in the die exactly with the holes in the paper. Check both sides, especially on the other side where you can see the holes in the paper need to be exactly in the middle of the holes of the die. (If that makes sense) Tape it down.
Place the cutting side of the die (with the tape) face down on the bottom plate, the rubber embossing mat on top of that, and then the top plate and run it through the machine to emboss.
**Big Tip!!** I've ruined 8 pieces of paper trying to use my electronic cutting machine (The Empress) to emboss it, because the pressure was just too much. I found the best result when I used my hand crank machine (the Evolution Advanced) which doesn't have near the pressure and it came out much better.
Turn both embossed pieces over to the debossed side and mark and score at 3/16" on the straight edge. (Opposite of the pictures)
**This is where I had to fiddle with the score lines. Before you adhere the side pieces to the middle piece, turn both pieces back over to the embossed side and make sure the two pieces are as close together as possible and the top and bottom edges are straight with the middle piece. You may have to rescore a smidge to get them to close together and align right. Once you have it aligned the way you want it, on the debossed side, use a tape runner or glue and adhere the sides to the back of the center piece.
Decorate it how you like.
For the red center, I cut another 5 7/16" x 5 7/16" pc of red paper and embossed it using the Cuttlebug small heart embossing folder.
Using gold mirror paper, I cut the center heart out with the Memory Box La Rue heart die.
I used Paper Wishes gold Dazzles for the corners and borders and the negative pcs for the front corners.
The stamp and roses are from my stash.
Whew!!! This tutorial stuff is harder than it looks!
Hope you enjoyed stoppin' by!
Thanks to all the challengers above for lettin'me play along!
Blessings!
Pam D
