Use die-cut shapes to create clever greeting cards by Keren Baker

What you need...

• Card, white
  Dies, Xcut: Nesting Circles, Square Parenthesis
  Papers: Lawn Fawn, Beachside; Let’s Polka; Basic Gray, Highline
  Stamps: Winnie & Walter, In Bloom; Anna’s Flora, Elsa’s Flora
  Inks, assorted
  Embossing powder, white
  Blending tool
  Adhesives

instructions

1. Happy Birthday - 1 Make a white card blank 14cm x 16cm. Arrange a circle die and mark with pencil at the top of the card where you want to cut up to, to partially cut the right-hand side of the card. Place the cutting pad so its edge covers the right hand part of the card blank and stops at the pencil mark.
   
   2 Trim the back part of the card blank, about 2.5cm wider than the straight line on the front. Die-cut a slightly smaller circle centrally into the large circle shape. Stamp out flowers and leaves in VersaMark, then sprinkle over
   white embossing powder. Tap off the excess, then heat to set. Blend ink over each flower to add depth, then trim them out.
   
   3 Die-cut some circles from patterned paper and white card and add to the circular area, cutting another large circle and adding them to the back of this shape first. Attach a strip of woodgrain paper to the front-left, that’s partially
   die-cut to fit with the shape of the front, plus a piece inside the card. Stamp a sentiment onto pieces of white card and add these, plus the stamped flowers and leaves, onto the card to finish.
   

2. Just For You - 1 Using the largest parenthesis shape, place over a folded piece of white card. Instead of cutting it out, slide the edge of the die slightly past the top of the folded part of the card, so the die doesn’t cut out the folded part. Attach with some tape so the die doesn’t move and pass through a die cutting machine.
   
   2 Die-cut some smaller shapes in patterned paper and add these to the card. Stamp out flowers and leaves in VersaMark, then sprinkle over white embossing powder. Heat to set. Blend ink over each flower to add depth before trimming out.
   
   3 Trim out a thin piece of woodgrain paper and some yellow dotted paper. Add ‘v’s to each end and stamp a blank sentiment onto woodgrain paper. Adhere both onto the card blank. Arrange the flowers and leaves onto the card and, when happy with the arrangement, add using glue and foam pads.