Butterfly Fun
Butterfly Fun By Maria Grace Abuzman Spring is just around the corner and I can’t wait. I love this time of year and you can see my feelings reflected in the projects I do. This time around, I’ve been using a lot of die cuts and in this article we’ll be creating designs using the Fiskars Butterfly 2 Shape Template. Shape templates are great resources to crafters because they are so versatile. Their primary function is to create die cuts for designs, but how about using them to create masks for inking? With “Fly” you’ll see how I’ve used a die cut as a mask. Using repositionable adhesive, I laid the butterfly die cut on the paper and spritzed dye ink over it. Once the ink dried and the mask was removed, the remaining image was a perfect compliment to the die cut itself and served as a journaling spot. Shape templates are also such fun because you can find many complementary shapes in one template. With the Fiskars Butterfly 2 Shape Template, you’ll find different size butterflies and their varying parts: antennae, body, and wings. The different combination of a final design piece is unlimited because of the opportunity to layer all the die cut pieces together are virtually infinite. You’ll see a perfect example of this in the “Fly” layout. Over the masked off image, you’ll see that I’ve placed on another butterfly die cut, but of a smaller piece. Doing so adds dimension to the overall design and, in this case, perfectly showcases a butterfly in flight. And die cuts aren’t just for layouts. Use them on cards and home décor; create from them magnets or bookmarkers. String up a few together and create a hanging mobile. For myself, I had a need to add a touch of fun to my office workspace, so I’ve created paperclips from my butterfly die cuts . Easy and fun and –again, because there are so many different-sized pieces in one template- having a collection of unique butterfly-clips was easily done. If you’ve never used shape templates before, why not resolve to try it today? Trust me when I say you’ll have so much fun creating your designs. Shape templates are definitely trusted tools in my stash. By Maria Grace Abuzman « Back to Paper Crafts |
The beauty about shape templates is that you can create a die cut from within anywhere on your layout. So for a 12x12 scrapper like me, this is a huge plus because I can reach in to the very center of my page. In my “Such a Girl” layout, you’ll see that I’ve cut out butterfly shapes from close to the center of the layout. Brilliant. I used the “negative” die cut shape – the remaining paper from which the cut was made. You’ll see that this negative space acts as a perfect peek-a-boo for anything placed behind it, in this case a paper doilie.
