Fussy Cutting

Hello Everyone, I am so happy you’ve stopped by!

Today I am featuring fussy cut images in this sweet little Valentine card. With the big trend of die cuts coordinating with our stamps, the art of fussy cutting has taken a bit of a back seat. It’s a technique that is actually very beautiful and can help create fun elements and dimension for your cards.

For my card today I am using the Avery Elle “Weather It“, the Penny Black “Critters In Love“, and the Hero Arts “Everyday Sayings” stamp sets to build a little scene… The three sets paired perfectly together!

I first began by stamping my hedgehog and clouds onto some watercolor paper with StazOn Jet Black ink. I masked the clouds and the hedgehog to allow the images to appear as one. I also stamped two clouds separately, as were going to be adhered to the top corner of the card.

Once my stamping was complete, I began my watercoloring with bright colors inspired by the ColourQ’s color challenge #278.  I used Tim Holtz distress inks in the shades of Worn Lipstick, Spun Sugar, Tattered Rose, Fired Brick, Peeled Paint, Spiced Marmalade, Broken China, Walnut Stain, and Vintage Photo for my color palette. After all my color was added, I came in with a white gel pen and added some flecks of white to the spikes of the hedgehog for highlights, and some freckles on his cheek.

For fussy cutting, I use fine tip precision scissors; these are perfect for fussy cutting, as they allow you to get into the small areas that are harder to cut cleanly with large scissors.

A couple tips when fussy cutting:

• When at a corner, turn the paper, not your scissors. This allows the scissors to cut more cleanly and helps prevent tearing.
• Always use sharp scissors. Dull blades will not cut your paper cleanly and leave ragged/bent edges.
• Go slow. The faster you go, the more likely you will make a mistake and cut off something you didn’t want to!
• After your image(s) are cut out, go over the edges of the paper with a black marker (or in whatever color your image is stamped in). This will help “finish” the fussy cut image and also soften the edges.

With my images now cut out, I began working on the background panel. I stamped the “sending warm fuzzies” sentiment and the tiny hearts in the same Jet Black ink used for the other images.  With an ink blending tool and Broken China distress ink, I sponged on some color along the bottom left and top right corners to create my sky. The hearts are watercolored with Fired Brick ink.

My fussy cut images are adhered to the panel with foam tape, and I’ve layered the background to a piece of kraft cardstock before adhering it to my card base with foam tape. Some pink grosgrain ribbon is tied around the bottom portion of the card, and I also applied Wink of Stella clear glitter to portions of my fussy cut images.

I just love how much dimension you can create by cutting out your stamped images and layering them onto your card! Fussy cutting is a lot of fun, and while not as “precise” as a die cut, it has a wonderful, unique charm in the “handmade” feel of your project.

I hope you’ve enjoyed! Thanks for stopping by today!

Challenges

This card is submitted into the ColourQ color challenge #278, the Penny Black Simplicity challenge, the Kraft Journal “Valentine’s” challenge #209, and the Simon Says Stamp “All Things Bright and Beautiful” Wednesday Challenge.

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