Creating With Basic Shape Dies

There are so many fantastic ways to use basic shape dies that aren’t basic at all!

Check out how Julie is using the Essential Ovals from the March Essentials by Ellen release to create RAINBOWS!

Basic shapes, like the upcoming Essentials Oval Dies, are a must-have in my crafty tool box—their versatility gives them the potential to become more than what they are.

I used the Ovals, or more specifically, their frames, to create a rainbow shape for the Mondo OMG die—the colorful arcs are perfect for this particular design because while they have a big visual presence, they don’t actually obstruct the rest of the card design!

To recreate my oval rainbow specifically, see my tips further below in the post, then follow this guideline for sizing your die cuts:

#1 Oval – vellum card stock (use the solid; for the color card stocks, use the frames and reserve the solid oval shapes for a later project)
#2 Oval – Robin’s Egg Blue
#4 Oval – Easter Grass
#6 Oval – Gold Coins
#8 Oval – Candy Corn
#10 Oval – Candy Hearts
#11 Oval – Knock out the center of the oval after all the other colors are mounted to the vellum shape

TIPS:

These dies are separated onto TWO magic storage sheets (that’s a lotta dies!)
Use a permanent marker to write numbers on each set; I numbered the larger set starting with “1″ on the largest, and used odd numbers. On the smaller set, I started with 2, and used even numbers. This way, I can tell just by looking at their numbers, what sequence or spacing I want or need for my project.