Hello, cafe friends!
Today, I have brewed up a little tutorial on how to make slimline cards without the pricey slimline dies.
Slimline cards have become all the rage in card making recently. It's funny because I've been making slimline cards before they even had the name "slimline". I simply made long cards to fit business envelopes. This is a fun size to work with, especially if you want to mail a little gift, like a book mark or a car freshener.
There are some stamp companies that are now selling dies to cut out the shapes to make a slimline card. And they are cute, but they are also pricey.
Yesterday, I had the idea to just use frame dies that I already own, and with a little tweaking, I knew I could make them work on this format.
I grabbed the scalloped edge frame dies from Lawn Fawn, using the one that is second from the largest...I think it measures about 3 1/2 inches across.
To start, I cut a piece of cardstock to 8 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches. I placed the die on one end, making sure to leave to bottom portion (maybe 1/2 inch?) off the cutting plate to ensure that this end does not get cut. Then I ran it through my Sizzix.
Here, you can see that it cut out three of the four sides. Perfect. Next, I flipped it to the other end and carefully placed the die back over, making sure to align and slightly overlap the spot where it will be cutting.
It helps to use a little tape to keep it in place.
I ran it through the Sizzix, also keeping the bottom edge off the cutting plate, as you can see above.
And when it is done, voila! A scalloped frame that will fit perfectly on a slimline card!
Next, I cut out the card base, which measures 8 1/2 by 7 inches, folded at 3 1/2 inches, and fits perfectly in a business size envelope.
As you can see, the layered scalloped frame portion measures just a bit smaller, making it a fun accent.
I used Distress Oxides and some stencils from My Favorite Things to make the backdrop.
I made this card for my Mother-in-Law, Shirley Ann, who has a big garden full of fun frog statues. She just got a new sign for her garden that says "Frog parking only. All others will be toad." LOL! Love it! That's why she needed a Toadally Awesome card!
I had to stamp the envelope, too. Hopefully, it will make some postal workers smile, too.
{Today's Brew: Toadally Awesome stamps and dies (Lawn Fawn), Lawn Fawn Scalloped Frame die, Lawn Fawn wavy banner die, Distress Oxide Inks, COPIC markers, MFT cloud/grass/sunshine stencils, Stampin' Up flower sequins, Wink of Stella}
I hope you enjoyed the tutorial today!
Tell me, have you been making slimline cards lately?
I have been enjoying the small slimline to fit into a check envelope, but I haven’t made a larger one in quite some time. When I was pregnant and planning my husband’s 40th birthday (14 years ago) I made the invitations in the larger slim line size because I could not access my smaller envelopes. I think they are good for scenes like yours, but some of the cards I have seen look a little over done / too much. But that is just my opinion. 😊 Thank you for your consistent posts.
ReplyDeleteI have been cutting out slimline cards on my Silhouette. Saves a lot of money. The dies are expensive.
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