Tuesday, February 5, 2013

A Study in: Quatrefoil (die within a die)

(ETA: I had some more quatrefoil ideas as I was driving my son to preschool this afternoon, so I changed the title of this post and will see if I can turn this into another series.)

 
Inspired by Amber's cards for her last week as the CASE Study muse, I wanted to play around with Papertrey's Quatrefoil Cover Plate.    


Also inspired by Betsy Veldman's video on Make It Monday to die cut a negative image from another die.


I came up with this card which has the Papertrey airplane die cut from the Quatrefoil Cover Plate. I decided upon the airplane after thinking the individual Quatrefoils looked like clouds. So I selectively substituted some white pieces (impressed with the circles) in the blue background for the clouds.

 
The only element that is not flat is the banner carrying the sentiment.  

Now if you know your Papertrey products, you know the airplane set comes in a set of two airplanes and a banner. Not conducive to making a single die cut of an airplane out of a background. So -- and this is not for the faint-of-heart product-purist -- I used my metal cutting shears and cut the dies apart. Cutting just a single airplane die just became possible. Although I do have to mention that if you do this, you'll want to cut as much excess off around the die as possible. Otherwise for negative die cutting it will leave a slight impression where the metal ends.

Ultimately, I wasn't 100% satisfied with the cloud placement on this one since you're limited to the rows which have the rounded, puffy sections. So I went for another card.


This one takes advantage of having the rounded, puffy sections all lined up in a neat row. Instead of clouds, they are now puffs of airplane exhaust! I wanted to die cut the airplane coming out of the sky to make it a little more dramatic and unexpected. I left the sentiment off this one because I couldn't figure out where to put it I wanted it to symbolize a transition in someone's life, moving from one chapter to the next (graduation, retirement, new job, etc.)


I really liked insetting the clouds and airplane to make this a completely flat card.


This last card came from more playing around with the Quatrefoil Cover Plate. I cut the die in strips and colored them with markers. Then cut a circle border in blue and wove them through the Quatrefoil strips. I like that it has some interest and texture, you kinda want to figure out what's going on. Then the simple sentiment in white at the top.

Thanks so much for looking!
-Kelly

37 comments:

  1. I love your interpretation to turn these into sky and clouds, great idea!! As for the last card - that is just such an awesome look, and I love those colours!

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  2. How dud you cut the circle border?

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    1. Hi Heidi, I wasn't able to email you directly, so I'll just reply here. The circles are from a long Papertrey circle border die. I was going to add a link here, but don't see it offered on their website anymore. Rats!

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  3. Adorable, Kelly! I can see that you were very inspired by Amber's card and those dies...I'm inspired now too! Gonna have to get my hands on some of them! Your cards are perfectly fun! Thanks so much for playing along with us at CASE Study!

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  4. All 3 of your cards are amazing! I love the clouds and the puffs from the air plane! Brilliant!!

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  5. Wow! Just like always, you don't just leave it at one awesome idea (love the clouds), but carry it on - love the colours you've used and that idea for weaving is so cool!

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  6. What cute little clouds ~ fun idea Kelly! And the weaving of the die cute...CLEVER!!!

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  7. Love how you used the Quatrefoil die, those clouds are too fun!

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  8. Oh my, how beautifully crafted! Love them all, Kelly!!!!!!

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  9. I love how you like to experiment with things. What a clever way to turn that quatrefoil die on it's head! My favorite is that first card. BTW HUGE Congrats on your Moxie Fab window card! So well deserved!!!

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  10. Kelly all awesome and so creative designs!

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  11. Kelly, do you have an art background or are you just a creative person at heart? The ideas you implement are so clever and well designed. Those quatrefoil clouds are adorable. Just curious, on the second card, did you try placing a sentiment along the edge of the blue paper?

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    1. Hi Nancy Jane, I'll reply here since wasn't able to in email ... no art background, I actually have a degree in Accounting and got my CPA. Hahaha, can't get much more opposite! I did think about adding the sentiment vertically along the edge of the blue/white paper, but with the smaller space available I didn't have a lot of choices in sentiments. Stamping horizontally over the dies just scares me. Unless I did it before die-cutting. Hmmm ... maybe that's an idea. THANKS!!!

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    2. I can understand where you're coming from since I have a degree in biology. Although people can get creative with their accounting (I've known a few!), your analytical degree makes what you do with your cards even more impressive.

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  12. Love your creations, Kelly, they're always so laden with great guidance and brilliant ideas ... love all these cards ... the puffy clouds of airplane exhaust are just a delight! Anita :)

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  13. Wow you are going to town! I love the way you had the clouds trail behind the airplane. Amazing as always!

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  14. Love the way you selectively used the Quatrefoil pieces & cutting the airplane out was brave, but worth it for the impact!

    Love the weaving on the final card!

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  15. Amazing as usual, love all these options.

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  16. Gasp! Those clouds are awesome! And so is the woven Quatrefoil. Ah-mazing!

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  17. Gorgeous, gorgeous cards Kelly - too funny that we both went the embossed clouds today :)
    That cloud trail is just crying out for "I {heart} U"

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  18. Kelly these are incredible! Love the incredible ideas you come up with!
    Can't wait to see more! :)Jill

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  19. These are all so cute! I used to make cards all the time but it's been quite a while now. I should start it back up :)

    xo
    summer

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  20. Your mind must work in overdrive. So so clever!

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  21. I forgot until I closed out your blog that I have some kind of glitch. IE says there is a problem with your site and keeps closing and reopening until I have 6 - 8 pages up. It takes a while to close them all down since every time I close another one opens. Any suggestions.

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    1. Oh dear! I've never heard of that before. I use Firefox, but I just now opened my site in IE and didn't see anything strange. It's just my site that does that? How bizarre! I'm so sorry that's happening! On my next post I'll ask if anyone else has an issue. Thanks for letting me know : )

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  22. Kelly , you are such an enabler, every time I see you work with PTI stamps or dies , you make me want to go order them..until I stop myself.. think and realise that these cards are a result of your ingenious brain and not the dies!

    Love them all!



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  23. I see nothing strange on my end either Kelly....
    Just inspiration galore ;-)

    I cannot believe the different styles you were able to master here around that one die!
    Who other than you would have thought about associating the airplane? and creating the cutest smoke puffs ever?!

    Thank You my Friend!

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  24. Love the cards!! They are beautiful!

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  25. These are all so clever, and just the unexpected thing I have come to expect from you. (huh???) And, how brave of you to cut your airplanes apart. I have to say that those airplanes are some of my faves, and this is just one more awesome idea about how to use them.

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  26. You always have such brilliant idea Kelly, love love love!!!!!

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  27. I know you don't know me well, but when you're through with your brain, may I have it.

    These cards are truly thinking outside the box (although you've been mostly in the boxes of late). You are definitely one of my handful of muses, a heavy burden, but one you're more than capable of carrying. Your posts make my email box a gift box. Thank you for choosing to share. What a treat.

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  28. I love how you used the Moroccan tile die SO creatively! Trails of clouds behind the plane? Brilliant!!

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  29. These are all so clever and well executed, Kelly. I have to say the last one is my favorite, though. Brilliant use of color and such a cool effect from interlocking the two die cuts!

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  30. Look at you go with that quatrefoil die!!! Love the experimenter in you:)

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I absolutely love reading comments. Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to leave one! - Kelly