Happy Thursday crafters! Have you seen the new Simon Says Stamp card kit “Summer Hello”? I was really excited to see the beauty-summer theme to this month’s kit, as I love the ocean. Today I’ve got a video for you that features the kit contents and an in lay die cutting technique!

In lay die cutting is a fun way to add a more finished look to a background created with die cuts. By pairing two of the items included in the kit – Simon’s new Bikini die and Echo Park’s Summer Dreams paper – I created this exact effect. Of course you could die cut the bikinis and simply adhere them to the background without doing the in lay technique. But the extra step makes such a big difference in the overall look of the card that I think it is worth taking the time to do.

In the video below, I walk you through how I did the die cut in lay design. I also touch on a couple of new favorite tools of mine; the Sizzix Side Kick and the ThermoWeb Memory Tape Runner. Both of these tools I plan on sharing additional details about why I like them and for what I use them for in upcoming videos. But for the time being I will touch quickly on each so you can get an idea of what makes these new favorites of mine!

SIZZIX SIDE KICK

I have found this Side Kick machine from Sizzix SO handy, especially for when I am shooting videos or cutting with smaller dies. The Side Kick can cut any wafer-thin die up to 2 1/2″ wide. Many coordinating dies for stamped images fit inside the Side Kick also. The convenience of having a small machine to do all the small cutting jobs has been so helpful, as the machine fits on my desk nicely without taking up lots of space like the Big Shot. Of course my Big Shot is invaluable for everything else, but for those smaller dies, I love reaching for the Side Kick.

THERMOWEB MEMORY TAPE RUNNER

For years I have been a big Scotch ATG tape runner fan. I always had the best luck with this adhesive. Recently I got ThermoWeb’s Memory Tape Runner to try out and I’ve since been in LOVE with how well it works. Honestly, I love this tape more than the ATG. It’s smaller, which is a big plus for me. The ATG tape runner is big and cumbersome. It also gets in the way at times when trying to film videos. The tape also dispenses much more cleanly and smoothly from ThermoWeb’s Memory Tape Runner. All around, this tape has quickly become my go-to adhesive! If you are on the look-out for a good tape, I recommend trying this one.

Another fun product included in the kit is the Sea You Soon stamp set from Simon Says Stamp. There are some great pun sentiments included in the set, one of which I used on my card here. I cut apart the sentiment and stamped the script in blue ink and white heat embossed the sans serif font onto pink paper.

I hope you will be checking out the video to see how this card came together, plus see the in lay die cutting technique in action! Also remember that you can find more inspiration using the new July Card Kit from Simon Says Stamp over at the Simon Card Kit Galleries page.

Thanks for visiting with me today… I’ll be back soon with more tutorials to share! Happy Thursday