Creating Patterns with your dies

Have you tried creating patterns with your dies? I have…. and I find it very therapeutic and amazing the designs that result!

TODAY’S CARD

Today I am sharing a simple card with a border design using Simon Says Stamp Stitched Slopes and Hills.

I know most crafters probably selects paper, then colours  etc etc…before colouring up their images. I like to be carefree in the designs at times and colour up my images first. This is not always a good thing as I find myself, spending time…trying to find the best accent paper for the coloured image.

READ ALSO: MIDWEEK MEDIA – USE THAT WASHI TAPE

CREATIVE THINKING

So…to fix that I tried, making stencilled patterns on plain paper or using distressed inks as I did not have a variety of paper with prints or plain ones in my early days of card-making. These did not always work out. I can’t remember how it happened but I know it was by accident…(one of those happy accidents when you forget to use the magnetic platform and the die shifts from its position…oh no!).  I designed a border using stitched dies which happened to co-ordinate with the rest of my card. So it is my “go to fixer” when I am being carefree.

Even though I like  doing the die designs, I do take a lot more into consideration before colouring my images now.

THE DESIGN

With today’s design, I started with the die centred on the paper in a diagonal position. This I ran through the Sizzix Big shot to create the first print. Next I reversed the direction of the die and again passed it through.

Now is where the fun starts…I began overlaying the die in many directions across the entire paper, switching from side to side,  so then there is some method to the “madness”. (It’s not that mad really!)

Take a look at the design….

COMPLETING THE CARD

Now that my border is completed, I can attached my imagery to it. This is the last hand drawn image I did while I was away from my home. It is coloured with copic markers and prismacolor pencils. I then adhered it to the border design and accented it with some glitter and woven thread.

Hope you like today’s card and please check below for the materials used.

READ ALSO: HANDMADE CARD FOR A KEEN CYCLIST

MATERIALS

• – Simon Says Stamp Stitched  Slopes and Hills
• – Sizzix Big Shot
• – Uni- Pin Fine Line pen
• – Jelly Roll White Pen
• – Ranger Crystal Stickles
• – Memories India Ink
• – Copic Markers- B00, B000, E00, E11, E30, R83, G24, W2, E02, C2, C3, C5, R27, R35, R46, R43                                           YG03, YG01
• – Prismacolor Pencils- PC909, PC905, PC935, PC1056, PC948