Two Different Ways to Use Stand Alone Dies (Featuring the Spellbinders Deer Etched Dies)

Hi Friends! I was happy to be asked to try out the Spellbinders Deer Etched Dies that were included in the card kit of the month two years ago, and by popular demand are now independently available for purchase. These deer are utterly charming, and I'm loving how they came together!

There is no stamping whatsoever on these cards, so I wanted to feature two basic ways to use your stand alone dies. Although I'm using the deer for both cards, you could use any standalone dies that create a scene.

1) Die Cut White Cardstock, then Watercolor

It's really fun to watercolor die cuts instead of stamped images for one big reason ... you do not have to stay in the lines! Thin antlers to color? No problem! You can use the largest brush you want and color everything in one pass. Then go in for the shadows and contours.

I like using watercolor on the die cuts to bring a little more depth to them, and to keep them from looking too flat with a lot of solid colors. This little lady is on the cutting edge of fashion with her blue eye shadow. Anyone sport this look in the 80's? Anyone horrified it's back now?

For the shiny nose I added Glossy Accents, and in the center of the little flower (which also comes with the die set) I added a pearl. The Season's Greetings sentiment is an adorable font ... did you notice the heart for the dot on the "i"?

2) Die Cut Felt 

There are many reasons I love die cutting with felt. One is the instant texture you get from the fuzziness of the felt. Especially when the subject of your die cutting is a furry animal. It fits perfectly. 

Another reason I like to use felt is the actual dimension you can get, for free! In this case, I'm able to flop the top of her Santa hat over. As you can see, it sticks up from the card quite a bit, does not need pop dots, and will easily flatten when slid into an envelope.

The sentiment on this card is from the Mix and Match Sentiments die set and looks fabulous cut in gold metallic cardstock.

What a sweet face! Another fun way to get a different look would be to cut the dies from patterned paper. You could do this for the whole deer or just one of the parts, like the centers of the ears or the Santa hat.

Lot of different ways to use this set of dies, and all of them end in something ridiculously cute. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!
- Kelly

Supplies Used (affiliate links, thanks for your support!):

Deer Etched Dies

Christmas Mix & Match Sentiments Dies