Instant Favourites!

Sometimes you see a set of dies or embossing folders and you fall head over heals in love with them, often because the aesthetics of the design really appeal to you and sometimes because you just know that you will get constant use from them all year round. These sets fall into both of those categories, particularly the Thinlits borders set.

The two sets I am talking about are The Framelits set Labels,Regal and the Thinlits set Borders both of which are designed by that clever, clever lady Stephanie Barnard and released this month. There are seven dies in each set representing great value for money too.

I started by designing and printing a sheet of phrases using my PC before die cutting them with my labels dies.

One of the great things about Framelits is that you can crop text or pictures with great accuracy and to help you in that quest the boffins at Sizzix have developed a magnetic platform which holds the wafer thin dies in place so that there is no chance of any movement as the die passes through the machine resulting in loss of registration, we've all been there and it is very frustrating!

Next, I die cut one of the borders and took a couple of rectangles of patterned card to add to the base card. I also used a faux stitch effect on some of the cards by running my pattern makers wheel over the card and joining the resulting line of holes with a fine tip marker. Black markers can be a bit overpowering so I used a pale blue Distress Marker (Weathered Wood to be more accurate)

Here is the first card that I made in a fresh, modern collage style. I also added random adhesive gems and pearls as well as a threaded button.

All the coloured cardstock comes from assorted 6 x 6 pads made by the lovely people at Doodlebug Design.

I couldn't stop at one card so here are a few more starting with this nautical one where I used the negative of the scallop border to create the waves together with a wavy border from silver card. I used a Circle Framelits die as a template to help me attach the gems accurately.

Next up the wicked diamond border.....

And here's the scallop border again....

And last, but by no means least.......

The great thing about this little collection is that it took me only two hours from start to finish. These dies lend themselves to so many styles because they are simply classic shapes. I hope you fall for them too!