Rita's Inlaid Die Cut Tutorial

Today I want to share a tutorial for inlaid die cuts.   If you mail a lot of cards, this can come in handy because it will decrease the bulk of your card while also creating a really cool look!  You'll need at least one die, but you can layer multiples if you like.

Supplies:
Die Cut
Die Cutting Machine
Adhesive
Card stock
Stamps/Embellishments to finish the card

For this technique, you need to have an idea of what you want your finished card to look like so that you cut your paper correctly.  I wanted to recreate a card I'd made before, so that part was quick for me.  When you are starting from scratch, it might take a little longer.  The first step here was to cut the die cut from the colored card stock and then cut my base and layer.  I used watercolor paper for my second layer; with intricate dies like this beautiful Circular Pendant, the heavier paper seems to make this technique easier. 

Now you need to decide where you want your die cut on the second layer and lay down the die.  I used a bit of Post-It tape to keep it where I wanted it and then ran it through my Big Shot.

At this point I have my base, the watercolor paper layer with the die cut out, and the extra die cut that I did in the first step.   I also have the little pieces left from cutting the die from the watercolor paper.  You want to save those as you'll use them to fill back in.

There are a lot of options for this step, but for me the easiest way is to cover a piece of copy paper with some adhesive and add it behind the watercolor paper layer.  I then added the purple die cut and the little pieces of watercolor paper.

And here's the result.  The die cut is completely inlaid in the watercolor paper!   Less bulk, less weight and kind of a wow! 

I stamped and cut out one of the cute circles from Circle Sets-Sentiments and added a sentiment from that same set.  A bit of ribbon and I have a cute, simple card that I can quickly mail off to a friend. 

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and I hope you'll give it a try.