Tutorial: Making Die Cut Words POP with Lisa Spangler

Hey, hey! I've got a tutorial today on making word dies POP! I often get asked about what I use, so I wanted to share my secrets. I also had to use my current favorite Texas stamp set - I may be a little biased since I live in Austin, but I'm kind of obsessed with it. :)

So let's dive right in!

To get started, I cut this gingham paper that I'd been saving for the perfect occasion to use on the base of a card - doesn't it go great with the Texas theme? Then, I die cut "you're" and "awesome" from gold papers. As you can see, they hardly show up against the gingham at this point. That's all about to change, though!

The first thing I did to make those die cuts pop was to add some white acrylic paint to the paper. This helps by toning down the print a little, but still allows you to see the pattern beneath the paint with no problem. I was pretty messy while painting. I also grabbed a tissue and wiped some of the paint away.

Now for my secret weapon: craft foam! You can find this in tons of colors at any craft store. I always keep black and white on hand - and sometimes other colors, too. For this card, I chose black foam since it would provide the most contrast. I cut the words out from the foam just as I would from paper. The craft foam cuts like butter!

Now for my second secret weapon: Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue. I love this stuff! I use it to adhere sequins, wood veneer and, most importantly, word die cuts.

Dot some glue onto the front of the foam piece and let it dry for about 30 seconds. This will make it tacky, kind of like a sticky note. It also prevents the glue from squishing out the sides when you put the paper on top of the foam. Bonus!

I also wanted to mention that the "you're" die does cut out an apostrophe. I set it in a little dish while I worked so it wouldn't get lost on my desk, ha!

I intentionally adhered the gold papers a little offset from the foam to give the words a drop shadow look. Check out how well my sentiment shows up against the gingham now.

Another great use for craft foam is as a substitute for tape or glue dots. It's great because it can be customized it to any size you need. I also like to use strips of it when making shaker cards since it's less expensive than foam tape, especially if you're making a bunch of cards.

To finish up the card, I just used the same glue to adhere everything in place, added some enamel dots and twine, and left it at that.

Now for some closeups up the finished card, starting with the "you're". Isn't it shiny?

Here's my finished Texas embellishment. I should mention that I stamped this with black pigment ink and then heat embossed it with clear powder. This just gives it that extra little something, and also matches the black foam.

Finally, here's that "awesome" die cut - I think it really pops now!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial as much as I enjoyed creating it. I love y'all to Texas and back! XOXO

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3 comments

  1. Brinkleyboy says…
    07/28/2016

    Great tip on using the foam in place of dimensional tape...genius! Love your card as always!

    1 Reply 0 Replies
  2. Kristi_ says…
    07/28/2016

    Great tips! I love this one, but I'm a bit biased, too ;-)

    1 Reply 0 Replies
  3. sideoats says…
    07/28/2016

    Thanks so much @brinkleyboy xo!
    @honeykd I'm biased too but this is one of my fave stamp sets ever! :)

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