FULL POST – 2 for 1 Frugal Die-Cutting

When I’m crafting I love to add some sparkle to almost everything and at Christmas time I like to add a bit more sparkle than usual.  I use Glimmer paper on quite a lot of my Christmas projects but I like to be frugal with it where I can. 

Today I have some tips for you on frugal die-cutting with no waste, I’m using Glimmer paper but you can do this with your cardstock and DSP too.

I wanted to make some quick Christmas cards so out came the Santa’s Workshop Memories & More cards.  I found so many cards that I wanted to use but I got side tracked by the sparkle on  a Coastal Cabana card that had glittery snowflakes all over it.  To add even more sparkle I decided to die-cut a large Merry Christmas from Sparkle Glimmer paper.

Depending on what I’m using the Glimmer paper for I use it in different ways.  I also have a ‘frugal rule’ for my Glimmer paper which is:-

If the Glimmer paper is big enough to punch or die-cut a flower, butterfly, snowflake etc.
then it goes in the page protector that I keep at the front of the pack to store the scraps.

Using Word Dies frugally

1. I work out the placement of the word die(s) on my grid paper and then measure the width and height.
2. I add ½” – ¾” to the width and height to get the size of Glimmer paper I need.  
3. I check the scraps first for a piece that’s similar in size, it doesn’t matter if it’s slightly smaller.
4. I go through my dies and punches to see if there’s one that close to the size I need.  
5. If I don’t have a die or punch then I’ll use my trimmer to cut the Glimmer paper. Tip: When using a trimmer to cut the Glimmer paper turn the paper over so that the glitter is face down and then cut it.  This helps prolong the life of the blade.

For me it’s easier to cut the Glimmer paper to size and then centre the word die(s) on it but if you find it easier to cut the word die(s) first and then cut it to size by all means do it that way. 

Remember to keep all the fall-out pieces when die-cutting word dies – i.e. the dot from the ‘i’, the centre of the ‘a’ etc.

By doing it this way I get 2 cards from 1 die-cut and there’s no waste which makes me happy : )

When punching/die-cutting an image or shape

1. I look in the page protector first to see if there’s a scrap piece large enough.
2. If the scraps are too small then I will die-cut/punch as close to the edge as possible with as little waste as possible.

Thank you for visiting today, I hope you have enjoyed today’s frugal project and maybe it has given you some inspiration to craft.  You can find all the measurements for both cards below.

If you make any of my projects I would love to see some photo’s and share them on my blog. You can email your photo’s to LadyDeeCrafts@outlook.com (I will only share your photo if you give me permission to do so).

Have yourself some crafting fun.

Dee x

These are the products I used, they are all available to purchase in my online store.

Product List

To make the 2 for 1 cards

To make these cards it’s easier to start with the card that uses the rectangular piece of Glimmer paper and then make the card with the die-cut word(s).  I removed the Merry Christmas die-cuts and all of the fall-out pieces and put them to one side. 

For the Poppy Parade card

1 of the large Santa’s Workshop Memories & More cards and envelopes.
A 5¼” x 3¼” piece of Poppy Parade cardstock.
A 5″ x 3″ piece of Sparkle Glimmer paper and 2 pieces of Sparkle Glimmer paper that measure ¾” x ¾”.  These go either side of the Poppy Parade layer.

1. On the rectangular piece of Glimmer paper I added Tombow glue around the edges and I also added small dots of Tombow around the die-cut area to make sure it would all adhered to the layering piece of Poppy Parade cardstock.
2. The easiest way I found to add the fall-out pieces is to put the Merry Christmas back into the rectangle and then added a small amount of Tombow to the back of each fall-out piece and adhere them in place.  After they were all in place I removed the Merry Christmas die-cut.
3. Before adhering the Poppy Parade layer to the front of the card I used a ‘T’ Ruler to line up and adhere the 2 pieces of  ¾” x ¾” Glimmer Paper.
4. The snowman embellishment is from my craft supplies.

For the Coastal Cabana card

Coastal Cabana Memories and More card cut to 5¾” x 4″.
Cardbase – Thick Whisper White cardstock cut to 11½” x 4″ and scored and 5¾”.
Merry Christmas die-cut in Sparkle Glimmer paper.

1. After cutting the Memories and More card I adhered it to the cardbase with some Tombow glue. 
2. The sparkly Merry Christmas die-cut looked too flat when I placed it on the card so to give it some dimension I die-cut 2 more in Thick Whisper White cardstock and 1 in Coastal Cabana cardstock. 
3. I put small dots of Tombow glue on the back of the Glimmer paper and Whisper White die-cuts and stacked them.  With the Coastal Cabana die-cut I off-set it slightly to give it a shadow effect.
4. I added small dots of Tombow glue to the back of the stacked die-cuts and adhered them to the Santa’s Workshop Memories and More card. 
5. I added a small white bow made out of white organza ribbon.

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When making any project I recommend you make it with cheap cardstock first because when someone is typing up lots of measurements mistakes can be made, we are human after all. I do double check my measurements but I have Dyscalculia.

This tutorial is the Intellectual property of Diane Copus-Read and is for Personal Use only.

If you CASE (Copy And Share Everything) my project and show it on any social media platform, video tutorial or blog post you do please be courteous and say you CASE’d it from Lady Dee Crafts and add a link to my website/blog post. The link for this blog post is:-

http://www.ladydeecrafts.co.uk/2-for-1-frugal-die-cutting/