Card Making · die cutting · spellbinders
4 Die Cutting Techniques You Haven’t Tried Yet
Four ways to get more out of the dies you already own
These are the techniques I wish someone had shown me sooner.
6 hits
Grab your coffee, because I’ve got a confession to make. I’ve been making cards for a while now, and there’s a whole side of die cutting that almost nobody talks about.
We’ve all seen the picture on the die set package. Cut it out, glue it down, done. But the dies you already own can do a lot more than that photo shows you, and I don’t think enough of us are told that.
So today, one card maker to another, I’m sharing four of my go-to secrets for getting more out of the dies already sitting in your craft room. I’m using last year’s Spellbinders Candy Christmas Collection with Stamperia collection to show you, but every one of these die cutting techniques works with dies you already own, holiday-themed or not.
None of this requires buying anything new. Just a different way of looking at what’s already on your shelf.
Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Time: 30–45 minutes per card
Project: (2) Christmas Cards
Techniques: Background stencil with dies · Die cut layers · Ink Blending · Dual-purpose die use
Key Skill: Getting more out of the dies you already own
To make sure you don’t feel stuck again, I’ve included multiple shortcuts in this post that you can refer back to whenever the “blank page anxiety” hits.
This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through my links, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps me keep the craft lights on and the coffee flowing. I only share products I actually use in my craft room. Thanks for supporting Miss. Carrie’s Creations! Full disclosure here.
Think Beyond the Label: My No.1 Die Cutting Tip
Before we get into the four die cutting techniques, let’s talk about the mindset that makes all of them possible: thinking beyond the label.
Every die set comes with a picture on the package showing you exactly what to cut and exactly how to use it. That picture is a suggestion, not a rule.
For example, the extra circle pieces in this Christmas Collection are labeled as icing or snow. I used them to create Christmas lights and berries instead. Same shape, completely different look. It’s the single biggest mind-shift that’s changed how I use every die set I own.
Once you start asking “what else could this shape be?” instead of just following the package photo, you’ll usually find two or three more uses hiding in a die set you thought you’d already gotten everything out of.
I didn’t plan the Christmas lights idea in advance. I was sitting with a pile of leftover circle die cuts, a little annoyed I didn’t have a use for them, and the idea just showed up. If you get stuck, dump out your scrap die cuts and just look at them for a minute before you toss them.
Technique 1: Backgrounds From Shape Dies (No Stencil Needed)
If you’ve ever gotten stuck staring at a blank card wondering what to do for the background, check your die set. The Gingerbread Plane collection came with cloud die cuts, and I used them exactly the way I’d use a stencil.
① Lay your shape die cuts in a loose horizontal line.
② Secure them with a strip of low-tack tape, right across the center. This holds the pieces in place and creates a mask below the die cuts.
③ Blend two ink colors over the cloud die cuts. Start with a darker color, then the lighter blue. (Peacock Feathers • Tumbled Glass)
④ Shift each row of cloud shapes slightly left or right as you blend. That small shift is what keeps a repeated die cut from reading as patterned paper instead of a handmade background.
If a die set gives you a shape you can repeat, it can double as a background tool. That’s one less thing to buy and one more reason to actually use what’s already in your stash.
Alternate idea: swap the cloud shape for any repeating shape die you own such as leaves, dots, even a plain circle. Use the same layered-ink method to build a completely different background.
Technique 2: Layering Die Cuts for Dimension (No Foam Tape)
If you’ve ever fought with foam tape on a detailed die cut and lost, this is your workaround. Layering solves the problem before it starts.
These are techniques that I use on almost every detailed die cut project.
Design tip: white pen highlights don’t need to be perfectly even. Uneven stitching lines or dot spacing actually reads as more handmade, not less.
Technique 3: Bringing Etched Dies to Life With Ink & Paper Scraps
If your die has etched detail, ink is what makes it visible. Adding Vintage Photo ink along the etched lines on the house, brought out detail that’s almost impossible to see on the die cut alone.
As I was building this Gingerbread House, I discovered that the rooftop die cut out perfect little circle shapes. I instantly envisioned these becoming Christmas lights. This simple addition added so much to the design.
I also made changes to the icing portions of the house as well. Around the window and door, I chose to use green cardstock instead of white creating simple pine garlands.
Before you follow the picture on a die set’s packaging exactly, ask yourself what else that shape could be. It’s usually more than one thing.
Technique 4: One Die, Two Completely Different Looks
This might be my favorite trick in the whole project. I cut the exact same border die twice.
Cutting the Sweet Border from gingerbread-brown cardstock and white turned it into mountain tops behind the plane. In all white, it became a snow bank behind the house. Same die, two completely different results, just by changing the colors.
Before you buy a new die for a new look, ask if a die you already own could get there with a different color choice instead.
Alternate layout idea: this same two-look approach works on scrapbook pages, too. Use the Sweet Border as a photo mat in one color story, then again as a background element in another.
Need more card making ideas?
If blank page syndrome is your nemesis (and let’s be honest, it is for most of us) these card sketches give you a design blueprint so you can fill in the colors and go. New resources are added every week.
Visit My Creative Library for more:
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Watch the Full Tutorial
Watch me walk through all 4 die cutting techniques, tips-and-tricks style. If this helped you, I’d love a thumbs up over on YouTube, and come leave a comment telling me which technique you’re trying first.
Did you watch the full tutorial?
If this helped you, a thumbs up goes a long way. It helps more crafters find these tutorials and keeps the coffee fund alive. ☕
Which Technique Should You Use?
None of these four techniques is the wrong place to start. They’re just different entry points depending on what’s tripping you up right now.
Shape backgrounds
Start here if you always get stuck on backgrounds. This is the fastest technique to try and the easiest win.
Layer for Dimension
Start here if you’re tired of fighting foam tape on detailed die cuts. Create depth with cardstock.
one die, two looks
Start here if you want to stretch your die collection before buying anything new.
Pick one die cutting technique. Try it this week.
You came here with a die collection that maybe felt a little one-note. You’re leaving with four ways to get more out of it, and hopefully the confidence to actually try one of them.
Which technique are you trying first? Drop a comment and tell me. I read every one.
If you want more tutorials like this one, come check out Miss Carrie’s Creative Library. It’s where I keep the sketches, printable guides, and planning tools organized so you’re not hunting for it all over the internet.
