THE LOVELY GARDEN

Card Created by Linda Fields

This is my latest card, created for the Easy Die Cutting Techniques Course in Altenew’s Education Certification Program. This time I was inspired by the Inlay Die Cutting technique. I love the results so I decided to make LOVE stand out by popping it up and off for dimensional effect.

My apologies in advance. Unlike all my other homework blog posts, I did not take the time to photograph my steps as I went, however, the steps to create the inlay effect are not difficult and the results always look amazing.

I created this slimline card using Altenew products: Golden Garden Stamp set, Mega Love Die, Obsidian Pigment Ink, Cloudy Sky Crisp Dye Ink, Firebrick and Moss Alcohol Ink Pens. I love Nina 120# Classic Crest White Cardstock. I don’t get the same, professional, crisp results with the 80#. I encourage you to try both to see which works best for you. I used a black mat to frame it all.

After cutting down my card base to a folded 3.5″x8.5″, I cut my 3″x8″ card front and 3.25″x8.25″ black mat. I created a pretty little flower pattern by repeating the same stamps in different directions. I created leaves using the brush nib, placed on its side and gently pressed to create the leaf shape. I added some flower details using a Micron pen. I used the die to cut “Love” from the front and extras from scrap paper. Glue them all together to create a thick piece. I inked the letters so it wouldn’t blend in with the background. I brought all the pieces together using double stick tape, adding the word last, set within the cut opening. I think I could have made the card even better if I had used black behind the word and foam tape for even more lift to exaggerate the dimensional effect but I still love how it came out and I encourage you to try this inlay technique for magical results you’ll love!