3 Levels of Cardmakers...beginner, casual, and avid

 Which are you? Beginner? Casual? Avid?

I'm Stampindede and I'm using the Beautiful Shapes dies to demonstrate the 3 levels of cardmakers. These dies offer lots of possibilities for cardmaking. I chose to use them because 'stepping up' a card is harder using only dies. When you use a stamp set, there are so many ways to step it up, but using only dies is more of a challenge. So challenge accepted!!

The Beautiful Shapes dies offer hexagons, circles, 2 different sentiment options, and smaller pieces of hexagons, triangles and trapezoids...all perfect for creating!

The first card I created was one that illustrates what a beginner cardmaker might make...

  I used a Soft Suede cardbase. The 4 hexagons were cut from Crumb Cake and one is cut from 2021-2023 In Color DSP - Evening Evergreen. The sentiment piece is cut with the trimmer to approximately 3 1/4" x 3/4" bannered on one end and stamped with the sentiment (from Happiness Abounds) with Early Espresso ink.  The card is finished with a border of dashes hand done with the Evening Evergreen Stamp N Write marker. The inside Very Vanilla 4 x 5 1/4 can be dressed up with a couple of smaller hexagons.

The next level of cardmaker is the casual designer! A casual cardmaker might add another layer, might add more patterns, and might add twine or ribbon. My casual card adds a layer of DSP from the 2021-2023 In Color DSP cut as a banner.

This banner is added to the cardbase with adhesive.  Two of the hexagons are cut from Crumb Cake then the other 3 are cut from various DSPs from the 2021-2023 In Color DSP and from the Pretty Prints DSP set.

These are added to the cardfront with Liquid Glue. The sentiment is stamped on the Crumb Cake piece, bannered, and added to the front. A bow of Linen Twine is attached under the sentiment with a glue dot. The inside consists of 3 of the hexagons and some doodling along two of the edges.

Last is the avid card. 

The avid card may add another layer, may add dimension with popped up elements, may add more textures or designs and may use more embellishments. This card adds a layer of Sahara Sand                4" x 5 1/4" and uses Crumb Cake ink and a blender brush to add distressing to the edges of the Sahara Sand, the DSP banner and to the Crumb Cake hexagons. More patterned DSP is used taken from Sun Prints DSP and Pretty Prints DSP along with the 2021 - 2023 In Color DSP. These patterned papers are cut with the smaller hexagon and mounted on the distressed Crumb Cake hexagons. Two of the hexagons are popped up with dimensionals. The sentiment piece is diecut with one of the shapes in the set and is popped up as well. The twine is wrapped around the banner before mounting then a double bow is added with a glue dot. 3 gems are placed on the front to finish the card. The inside just has two of the hexagons with the DSP in the center, one at the top and another at the bottom, diagonally across from each other. 

So I hope that you have been encouraged to use your diecuts to step up your cards. 

Here is the video to demonstrate how to make the avid card and you'll see some other card sample using the Beautiful Shapes. 

Watch this video to learn to tie a double bow.

Enjoy and please FOLLOW my blog if  you haven't already!!