I thought it would be a great idea to show you how many ways you can use word and coordinating shadow dies to get more for your money. My daughter, Victoria, helped me with this project. We used products from the Stamps of Life website. I used the “sweet” word and shadow statement die set and Victoria used the “happy” word and shadow statement die set. Here is a link to all of the statement sets – they include matching stamps for countless combinations. Let’s see how many different ways we can use these dies…
This first example shows the shadow (the larger die) and the word (the smaller die) used in a typical way. The word die is glued to the shadow and the set is glued to the top of the card. You will notice Victoria used patterned paper for her shadow for a different look.
Victoria cleverly used the scrap paper from a previous shadow die cut and placed a word die in the center. So don’t throw away your scraps after you cut them out – they can be re-purposed!
For this next example we cut the shadow into the top layer of the card and then placed the word die in the center. You can see the card front (white) in the background and instead of the shadow and word being raised up, since the word is dropped into the open space, this gives a much more level feel to the card.
In the example above, we used a similar technique to the last but instead of adding a top layer to the card, we cut the shadow directly into the front of the card. So when you look at the card it looks like a shadow and word combination, but when you open the card, you will see the word is actually on the inside of the card. You can also add acetate to the front inside flap of the card to create a window affect.
This next technique is one of my favorites. We created a second shadow for the word/shadow combination (basically a double shadow). You can try different placements, but I like to place the first shadow centered, and then I create a second shadow and add the word die and place that set a little down and to the right so it looks offset from the original shadow.
This next example adds a lot of dimension to a card. We cut several layers of the word die only and glued them together for a stacked look. You can do the lower layers in white and die cut the top layer out of colored or patterned paper.
This next card reminds me of bubble letters. We used the shadow only but we die cut it with the word die in it, so basically, it is just the outline of the shadow. The only thing you need to do is save the little bits that are part of the word die (in this case from the S and E’s) and that helps to define the outline and form the bubble letter look.
This next card is definitely one of our favorites – we created lots of shadows in many colors and glued them down the front of the card for a rainbow look and added one word die to the bottom. This is such a fun and colorful way to fill the front of a card.
This last example is a bit more difficult, but totally worth it! We cut 3 layers of shadows in the exact same spot on 3 different colored layers. Next we took 1/4 inch from the top and bottom of the first layer, 1/2 inch from the middle layer, and 3/4 inch from the bottom layer. Be sure to do all of your cuts on the flat edges!! Next cut each layer in half by making one slit on the left and right side so you end up with 6 halves in total. Glue the layers from largest to smallest into the top and bottom corners and you will get this graduated effect. Lastly, add the word die to the center. I prefer to cut the word die in a dark color for a more bold look. It is really not difficult once you know the process and you can add more layers for a fuller rainbow look.
So that is a whole bunch of ways to use word and shadow dies. Just think if you start to add in colored and patterned paper how many more looks you can achieve! I hope you will give this a try and share your makes with us too! Thanks for joining me and Victoria! Happy Crafting!
Cards By DeCaro 