How to use our Fresh Cut Dies – a step by step…

How to use our Fresh Cut Dies – a step by step…

Hi everyone, Paul here.
I hope you are all well and staying safe.

As part of the January Bloggy Tutorial Event, Barb has allowed me to take over her blog for the day to showcase our beautiful range of Fresh Cut Dies.

Today I wanted to share with you the Botanical Range designed by our good friend Mel Turner – an amazing illustrator.

At 1pm and 3pm today I was on Hochanda showing what you can achieve with our dies. If you missed the shows, then you can watch them again via the Hochanda.com website.

Here is a step by step that I did during the 3pm show………

Firstly, let me explain a little bit about our Fresh Cut Aperture Dies and how they were born. Barb has always loved the effect of paper cutting. For those of you that have seen this technique, you will know that it is very time consuming and requires a certain amount of skill with a craft knife, but the end result is stunning. So Barbara gave it some thought, asked some questions, did some investigating and the result was the Clarity Fresh Cut range of dies being born. As always, Barb wanted them to be different to what was already available, so she decided that rather than create a rang that could just be die cut and assembled, lets create them without an outside cutting edge. This means that whatever size piece of card you die cut the design, it will remain within the card, giving the effect of beautiful paper cutting. Here are few examples

One of the many benefits of this style of design is that you can create a beautiful card within minutes, especially when combined with our range of designer papers, card and parchment.

Today I am going to take you through the technique that Barb came up with when we first launched our Fresh Cut dies back in May 2018 (how time flies!) It is called “Trap the Scrap” – once you get the hang of it, it is so addictive and it works with the majority of our Fresh Cut Aperture Dies. It also means that you get 2 for 1 from the same piece of card! I have played with so many dies over the years, but it would never have crossed my mind to create something with the waste!

Take a piece of black card and trim to 4½” square. Attach your die of choice with low tack tape and run through your die cutting machine

Easy peasy!

Now we are going to “Trap the Scrap”. Take a piece of Amazonia Designer Petite Topper and take an inch off of the bottom so that the card measures 5″x6″. Take the same die and spritz lightly with water on the cutting side of the die. Place face down on the card and run through your machine

Carefully remove the die from your die cutting machine and place face down on your craft mat. Gently lift off the die cut piece (the bit on the left). Put this to one side as we will use this to make the second card. At this stage we are interested in the waste that is left in the die (on the right). If any bits have fallen out, use a Groovi tool with a bit of blu-tack on the end to reposition

Take a piece of double sided self adhesive and trim down to 4¼”. Remove one side of the backing and place over the back of the die. Give it a good rub and then remove the die, slowly! Whilst doing this, if there are any bits still left in the die, it is easier to push it back into place and trap it!!!!

This is what you will end up with – you have trapped the scrap!

Now take the piece we die cut at the start and carefully lay it over the waste

You have now trapped the scrap!

Take a piece of 8×8 Amazonia Designer Paper, trim down to 5¾” and mount onto a 6×6 black card blank.
Remove the backing of the self adhesive sheet and mat and layer.
Add a sentiment of your choice. Card number 1 done!

Let’s make a start on our second card using the actual die cut.
Take another piece of double sided self adhesive sheet measuring 4¼”, remove one side of the backing and place the backing under your die cut – not the sticky bit – I removed the backing that has “Claritystamp” printed on it. If you do the same make sure that when you place it underneath, you can’t read Claritystamp, otherwise the job is over and you have to start again!!!!!

Now place the sticky bit face down and give it a good rub

Remove the back and attach to a 7×7 black card blank

Pour a pot of Perg-Glitter over the sticky part and rub in with your fingers – return the excess glitter back to the pot – it seems to last forever!

I chose a “Hint of Copper” to tie in with the colour of the card

Finish off card number 2 with a sentiment.

2 cards made from 1 piece of designer card and a couple of card blanks

If you want to give this a go, then check out the bloggy sale offers HERE

If you have missed any of the previous bloggy step by steps don’t worry, we have put them all in one place on the website HERE

Stay safe and keep crafting!

Love
Paul xx

17 thoughts on “How to use our Fresh Cut Dies – a step by step…

  1. Paul, as always your shows were brilliant on Hochanda, so calming and full of magic ideas! When Clarity brought out the Fresh Cut Dies it was a game changer, so innovative and inspirational! Not just for their ease of use and the blue coating but also for the beautiful designs, especially by the magnificent Mel! Well done Team Clarity, looking forward to new dies in 2021!

  2. Brilliant shows today. And so coordinated with the presenters!
    Great artwork with the dies. So good for quick and effective cards too.
    Have a relaxing evening Paul.
    Love and hugs xx

  3. Hi Paul,
    Great shows as always. Really love the Fresh Cut Dies and the Chinese Lanterns is one of favourites ( if not my favourite). Trap the scrap is a great technique once you have mastered it. The tip to spritz the cutting side is excellent. Thanks again, love Alison x

  4. Welcome back Paul – and a Happy New Year. I’ve missed you!
    I remember you did something similar at one of the Richmond open days – I took pictures and regularly refer to them – main reason I got the dies!
    Love
    Maggie (Bendy Yorkite) just to be clear, Bendy is our HUGE Norweigan forest cat – not me.

  5. Hi Paul thank you for going through this step by step. I still need to be reminded of this technique. I love fresh cut dies. They are great. Have a good evening. Take care. Hugs xxx

  6. Good demos on Hochanda today Paul. I haven’t ventured into die cutting so far as I already have so many skills to explore and projects to do. But this was well explained for a complete beginner and, most importantly, easy to find. Many thanks

  7. I’m going to have to watch on catch-up as I took my friend for her second vaccine this afternoon and then went to sleep and forgot everything until 5 minutes before the end of the second show!! I have many of these dies so I want to see what you did with them! I too love the trap the scrap technique. Thanks for such a clear tutorial. Bea and I are going to start on the tutorials tomorrow morning at Shac shack time!

  8. Love these dies for clean easy to complete cards or to take up a level to make art work or more complex cards. Need to get them out & play.
    Thanks Paul for the step by step – clear instructions with plenty of photos for those new to the process of trap the scrap which I love doing.

  9. great shows today Paul! This is such a brilliant technique – I use it a lot. I also succumbed and ordered the full set of floral frame dies – I’ve got one already so going to split the set with my sister 🙂

  10. Hello Paul
    Thank you for today’s Hochanda shows, I really enjoyed them, you explained and demonstrated the techniques so clearly. Now just waiting for order to arrive. Once again thank you.

  11. Really enjoyed your shows today. Glad to have you back on the blog, not least so there is a permanent record when I forget.

  12. Hello Paul, have not caught up with your shows yet, but looks like they will keep me absorbed for ages. Love this step by step tutorial. I love my fresh cut dies. Take care and stay safe everyone. Bx

  13. Thank you Paul.
    Wonderful shows – you are brillant! Appreciate the demo’s and tips you shared.
    Thank you for this fabulous step by step tutorial. Loves the turorials – always keep to reference. Off to trap the scrap.
    Love my fresh cut dies.

  14. Could you add a link to where this was demoed in video? I’m having trouble wrapping my head around it. Seems like an amazing technique!

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