leafs | Make It from Your Heart

If you’ve ever found yourself at a loss for how to transform plain, straight lines on your papers into sensational, artistic statements, the Decorative Borders Thin Cuts set is the answer! These dies give you so many options for adding fun effects to your artwork. Take a look at all the unique shapes you can get from this one set:

This first photo shows the dies in this set made to cut away the edges of your papers, leaving the rest of the piece in tact. Here you’ll see papers we’ve cut with the small scallop, the fringe border, the large scallop, and the notebook paper dies. Notice that you can repeat these cuts to add the effects to a piece of paper larger than the die, as we did with the small scallop border. Accomplish this by repositioning the die after the first cut and sending it through your embossing machine a second time. Also note the faux stitching detail on both of the scallop borders!

These next two dies are a bit more traditional in that they cut shapes to be used as embellishments. These borders work especially well when layered with other paper strips and accents.

This last group we’ll call our “special effects” dies, for obvious reasons! Rather than cut a complete shape, these borders add patterns while leaving your paper intact. As we saw with the small scallop border, many of these can be repeated over large pieces of paper. Hopefully you also picked out the fun “pull tab” created by the far left die. Let’s get a closer look at what that looks like in artwork!

The pull tab die is a great way to add an interactive element to cards and other artwork. The die is designed to leave tiny connection points down the length of the cut shape, resulting in a perforated paper shape that is easy to tear away, revealing a stamped message beneath. Because this is such a fun effect, we’ve put together a brief tutorial for adding a pull tab to a custom-made envelope.

Start with a 5¾” x 7¾” piece of cardstock for your envelope base. Fold and score the envelope 3 3/8″ up from the bottom.

Next, use a separate 3″ x 5¾” piece of cardstock for the envelope flap. Score the envelope flap 1″ from the top, but leave flat after scoring.

Position the pull-tab die about 3/8″ from the right edge of the envelope flap, centered between the bottom edge and the score line. The die will extend beyond the left edge of the envelope flap, and that is just fine! Once you’ve made sure the die is parallel to the edge of the cardstock, secure it in place using washi tape. Then use your embossing machine to make the cut.

To create the hidden sentiment that will be revealed by the pull tab, cut a 5¾” x ¾” cardstock strip and stamp the sentiment about 1″ from the right edge. For maximum effect, use a different color of cardstock for this strip of paper.

Now attach the hidden sentiment piece to the envelope base as shown. Before gluing in place, check to make sure your sentiment will line up with the pull tab on the envelope flap and position accordingly!

To assemble the envelope, you’ll need two more pieces of cardstock to form the sides of your envelope. Cut these both at 1″ x 3¼” and then score and fold both in half.

DIY Envelope with pull tab tutorial #ctmh #thincuts

Attach the envelope sides and flap to your envelope base, then fold closed, gluing all pieces to the insides of your envelope.

Next add your card and use adhesive to close the envelope flap. When adding adhesive to the inside of the envelope flap, be sure to avoid getting adhesive on the pull tab itself!

There you have it! Have fun adding pull tabs, fringes, and lots of other decorative effects to your artwork using the Decorative Borders Thin Cuts!

Recipes:

4¼” x 5½” Merry Christmas Card (Vertical)
Z4240 My Acrylix® Oh What Fun—Cardmaking Stamp + Thin Cuts, X7238B Oh What Fun Paper Packet, X7238D Oh What Fun Coordinating Cardstock, Z2895 Lagoon Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z6503 Mint Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2805 Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z4216 Raspberry Baker’s Twine, Z4241 Thin Cuts—Decorative Borders

‘Tis the Season Envelope
C1746 My Acrylix® Oh What Fun—Cardmaking Stamp Set, X6027 White Daisy Cardstock, X5986 Mint Cardstock, Z6507 Clover Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4241 Thin Cuts—Decorative Borders

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As the end of the year approaches, so does the end of our current idea book, Holiday Expressions. And, even though it may a bit taboo to choose a favorite child, we went for it and picked out a few of our favorite products from this catalog to show you just how versatile they really are and that they can be used outside of the holiday season.

First up, the Tree Line Border Thin Cuts.

It’s easy to associate pine trees with Christmas, the majority of us have one dominating our living rooms for the entire month of December (or more!) every year. But, lets not forget that before they got all dressed up for the party these beautiful trees had a more rustic existence.

These tree line dies can be used in multiple ways to invoke a natural scene. Their design allows for you to use one border at a time or to stack the die cuts, as we’ve done here, creating a more dimensional setting.

Another favorite is the My Acrylix^® Oh Snap! stamp set.

If you’re reading this post, you’re hanging with the crowd that doesn’t need a holiday to preserve memories. We’re all about capturing life’s moments, no matter the season.

Next up, we chose a more subtle and less obvious embellishment—the Cats & Bats Dots.

We have black and Emerald enamel dots. Yes, they work perfectly with this year’s Halloween collection, but these little guys are a force to be reckoned with all on their own. Embellishments like these are great to have on hand to add a splash of color any time you need it. And the low price means you can really stock up on these babies and use them on project after project!

Find merriment in anything and everything with our Merry Everything Cut Above^®tag kit.

Gifts should be shared all year round!

For the last highlight, even though we love all of our children the same, take a look at what we did with our leaf embossing folder below.

We love so many of our products that will be retiring in just a few weeks, it was difficult to list just a few. Take advantage of your opportunity to snatch up these items while you still can and remember that just because they are featured in the Holiday Expressions idea book doesn’t mean you can’t use them outside of the holidays. Revisit your catalog and take a look at those products again, thinking outside the holiday gift box!

Have you used any of our holiday products in a non-holiday way? Share your creative ideas below! We love hearing from you!

Recipes

4¼” x 5½” Birthday Wishes Card (Vertical)
B1537 My Acrylix^® Birthday Sparkles Stamp Set, X7225B Beary Christmas Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5954 Pewter Cardstock, X5955 Pebble Cardstock, Z3271 Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z3357 Better Together Complements, Z4037 Thin Cuts—Tree Line Border, Z3285 Cricut^® Flower Market Collection, Die-cutting Machine