Easy Paper Piecing with Die Cuts

Currently, my favorite tool in my crafting area is the Vagabond die cutting machine made by Sizzix. I have enjoyed using it for a variety of different quilting and paper crafting projects over the past few weeks.  It continues to serve my purposes very well.  However, I feel like the dies are sometimes a one-off purchase. This goes against my more frugal side. As I was looking at a beautiful die, designed to be a card front, I started thinking about other ways I can maximize that and some of the other dies in my collection.  That is when the idea about easy paper piecing with die-cuts came to mind. As a bonus, there is a card that is made with paper piecing on the backside, too.

Because I did not need to have an entire cut of the image, I used small pieces over the design. Washi tape can be used to hold the paper in place if needed. 

If you want to replace the background with different colors of paper, you would cut out the entire image.  Piece the colors of the negative spaces back in and adhere to a card front.  The picture above shows just two different pieced colors.  The light blue is the card base. This is not a completed card, it is an example of how to use the negative cuts.

Hero Arts Fairy Window Fancy Die cut out of vellum 

The fairy picture, above, does not have anything to do with paper piecing. But, I wanted to show another way to get a variety of colors using one die cut image.  The base under the vellum piece was made using two different kinds of powder paint on Bristol paper, spritzed with water.  The green is a shimmery Tonic product and the other colors are Ken Oliver's Color Burst.

The cards pictured in this post are all standard 5.5" x 4.25" mailable cards. Even though they are pieced, there is no extra bulk, and they can be run through the post office sorters.

Card made with Altenew's Layering Floral Cover Die A

This next card die is from Altenew. The picture below shows the backside of the die-cut image with the different colors of pieces adhered to the back. The front is layered on a piece of vellum which is adhered to a standard white card.

Back of card with pieced papers as shadow outlines

The next card is super simple to make. I am showing the individual pieces before they've been assembled. It was very easy to cut out the skirt and layer it.

Thank you for visiting today! 

These are the supplies that are currently available that were used on these cards:

Hero Arts - Fancy Dies - Fairy Window
Scrapbook.com

Altenew - Layering Dies - Floral Cover A
Scrapbook.com

Spellbinders - Artomology Collection - Dies - Tadah Girl
Scrapbook.com

Nuvo - Aqua Shimmer - Glitter Gloss - 2 Pack
Scrapbook.com

Nuvo - Glitter Drops - Purple Rain
Scrapbook.com

Tonic Studios - Woodland Walk Collection - Craft Perfect - Pearlescent Card - 8.5 x 11 - Fresh Mint - 5 Pack
Scrapbook.com

Nuvo - Woodland Walk Collection - Shimmer Powder - Falling Leaves
Scrapbook.com

Ken Oliver - Color Burst - Brights Assortment - 6 Pack
Scrapbook.com

Scrapbook.com: Thousands of scrapbooking supplies. HUGE daily discounts!

Avonlea Cards - August Bonus Projects

CTMH Avonlea B & T Paper

The three cards on this page all used patterned paper from the Avonlea collection.  The top two are 6 x 6 square cards and the bottom one is a standard 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" card.  The top one has a Parlor Velvet Rub-On for a little added texture, along with pieces of Black Tulle Ribbon and Slate Satin Polka Dot Ribbon.  The sentiment comes from the Words of Comfort set.

Sentiment is from CTMH Card Chatter - Sympathy Set

I love how simple this card is, but it still has a lot of character.  The sentiment was stamped on a shape cut with the Art Philosophy cartridge and layered over progressively larger shapes.  A couple of Mocha Opaques anchor the sides of the layered labels. The Slate Polka Dot Ribbon adds an elegant touch. Inside the card is a strip of patterned paper adhered to the edge.  The front of the card was cut a little smaller so that the inside paper could be seen peeking out.

Liquid Glass Turns Matte Finishes to Glossy

 The birthday card has pops of bright, stamped images.  Honey ink was used with the images from the Artiste Collection.  The two banners were then covered with Liquid Glass to make shiny embellishments for the card.  All of the design elements were popped off the page using foam tape.

Paper Pieced Cupcake

Even though there is a cupcake cut file on the Artiste cartridge, I hand cut it because I wanted to paper-piece it. The 'sprinkles' on the cupcake are Mocha Opaques Adhesive Gems. 

All three cards are part of my August Bonus - Thank-You Projects for any customer who shops with me this month.  I will email the complete instructions to all online customers.  The projects can be made with whatever papers and inks you have on hand, they do not have to be made with the supplies that are from the samples. The other projects are here and here.

Thank you for stopping by today!  I appreciate you taking the time to visit.

Beverly

Happy Easter Card - Woven Paper Basket

 Easter is my younger daughter's favorite holiday.  I made this card for her.  As a seven year old girl, it has most of the components that someone of her peer group would like:  Bunnies, a butterfly, pretty colors and Easter eggs.

 After weaving the paper, I rolled it down to make it look very similar to one of my dd's previous Easter baskets.  The cute stamp images are retired from CTMH. The sign is paper pieced, the rest colored with Copics.

Happy Easter Week!

Paper Piecing on Autumn Cards Take Two

Halloween Paper Pieced card using CTMH Spook Alley stamp set

My post yesterday was motivated by CFC 19 at CAS-ual Fridays.  However, I didn't submit that card because I didn't love it.  I'm not sure I Love this one, but I do like it a lot. It is more in keeping with my personality.  Especially, the goofy, google-ly eyes!

Paper pieced Frank with 5 different B & T papers

Clean and simple used to be my style in card making and scrapbooking.  I'm not sure if Tim Holtz is to blame thank, or what exactly happened... but I don't do much that is CAS any longer.  My "style" is more hybrid-eclectic now.
I love CAS, though. So this won't be the end of my checking out the CAS-ual Fridays challenges.

Asided from the eyeballs, everything else is CTMH

The bottom border stamp has 8 different colored papers used for piecing. Some were used more than once, i.e., the stars.  I used a Bonding Memories Glue Pen to adhere all those itsy bitsy pieces of paper.  This stamp set is retired and so are some of the papers.  The Mischief B & T is new this season.

Paper Piecing on Autumn Cards

Pumpkin from  CTMH So Grateful Stamp set

 The http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.com/ challenge this week is to make a Fall Themed Clean and Simple card using paper piecing.  It's been awhile since I've done paper piecing, so I thought it would be fun to join in!

Acorn and sentiment are from SU! Country Blessings (retired) set

The pumpkin and acorn were paper pieced on the top card.  On the following card, the owl was paper pieced and popped up.  I think the effect is sort of like it is sitting in a tree.

CTMH Pair-a-Phrase stamp set

 A few Spellbinders dies were used for the layers under the owl.

CTMH Dreamin' B & T paper was used along with Goldrush, Chocolate and black cardstock

Both cards are on Colonial White bases.

Dear Friends,
Today is September 11th.  I'll be hugging those that are near and dear to me, just a little bit longer and a little bit harder today as I remember how our world was forever changed ten years ago, on this date. My heart still grieves for those who perished and those who were personally impacted by the tragedy that will always be known as 9-11.
Peace be unto you,
Beverly