Adding Details to Dies

Using dies from the Everyday Elements Collection

Hi! Welcome to a little bird crafts. Do you ever change your dies by adding details or using them in reverse? I have a few tips. Hopefully, some will be new to you.

I started with dies that do not have companion stamps. They are wonderful stand-alone dies, but I wanted to add a bit. I do not draw, so if I can do it, you can to!

1) Add details. I used watercolors to paint in the eye, nose, ears, and fur. The legs on the “opposite side” of the die-cut are a lighter color to add definition. Colored pencils or markers would work equally well.

Do you see my mistake? After painting the moose, I learned that the ears go under or behind the antlers – oops!

2) Create a stencil with the die. A stencil can be made from die-cutting heavy cardstock, thin cardboard, or mylar. In the photo above, I added texture paste over my tree stencil and later added colored sprays to create the effect of a green tree with a brown trunk and blue sky.

3) Depending how the details are added, the die can appear to face you or look away. For example, the deer in photos 2 & 3 face opposite directions on the two cards.

Above: the same die images are shown with details to make the image face toward or away from you.

4) If using a die-cut on the “wrong” side of a die-cut, place thin paper or typing paper between the cutting plate and paper before die-cutting. It protects the paper from becoming damaged from the rough cutting plate.

On the photo to the left, the upper left bear is a reverse image.

5) Tip I learned from Annette Green is to use a bone folder to flatten the edges of a reversed image.

Were any of these tips new to you? Do you have any tips you’d like to share?

Thanks for reading along and happy crafting!

Di/a little bird crafts.

Follow the links below to get a 10% discount at Elizabeth Craft Designs. I will also receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. https://ecraftdesigns.com/ALITTLEBIRD28

Supplies:

• Forest Friends & Frames dies 2199 https://collabs.shop/znh3or
• Postage Stamps 2026 https://collabs.shop/lljrak https://collabs.shop/kttq0s
• Flowers & Nature stamps CS385 https://collabs.shop/ztp6sx https://collabs.shop/l0jpav
• Colorful Collective paper C030 https://collabs.shop/wtkx2p https://collabs.shop/axsnnt
• Watercolor paper
• Watercolor paints
• Distress ink
• White gel pen
• Bone folder