Els van de Burgt Studio

Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other

February 12, 2016

By Judi Kauffman

This is my first time posting as a guest designer for Susan’s Garden Club. I thought I’d show how versatile my friend Susan Tierney-Cockburn’s Garden Patch dies can be! Each one creates a gridded frame with rows of open squares – much like a window with panes, and the squares that come out of the openings can be used as well.

There are four choices in the Garden Patch series, each includes mini-size flowers or leaves as well as the grid. Two of the dies have six square openings, one has nine and one has sixteen. If you’re into squares, there’s a lot to play with and a lot to like.

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I picked #1002 Garden Patch 1 3/8” & Mini Daffodils for two of my projects and I used the frame as well as the six squares, hence the project name: Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other! I used Shimmer Sheetz for all but the base layers for my cards. And instead of making the mini daffodils I went in another direction for the flowers: Peel-offs #1125 Flowers in Gold and Black, a favorite sheet of mine that includes eight 1 5/8” outline flowers, four 5/8” outline flowers, and ten tiny leaves, with great leftover negative pieces that can be saved and used for other projects. (It’s what my grandmother used to call ‘Such a deal!’)

Click HERE for a video about Susan’s Garden Club – Garden Patch.

Of course, you can take these projects in any direction. Pick a different palette – brighter, more muted, tone-on-tone. Choose a different Garden Patch die with more rows and more squares! Create realistic paper flowers instead of using peel-offs, or use Els van de Burgt Studio Bunch of Flowers dies if you want graphic-style blooms rather than realistic ones. Incorporate patterned papers (like Els’s Through the Lens series) for the Stitched Rectangles. Use Karen Burniston’s Stage it Stencils to create painted or inked patterned layers. Use embossing folders for more texture and dimension. Or skip the Garden Patch die and use Stitched Circles for the variation shown below in the third card.

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INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place outline peel-offs onto Shimmer Sheetz in color of choice. Shown – Light Pink Iridescent (not sanded) and Amethyst Gemstone that has been altered with Alcohol Inks in Raisin and Metallic Mixatives in Gold.

2. Using fine point scissors cut out each flower, staying close to the outline.

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3. Add Glitter Dots peel-offs or adhesive-backed gems and half-pearls to each flower for extra sparkle. Mix the colors as shown on the card with Light Pink flowers (Purple, Violet, Green, or use only one as shown on the card with Amethyst flowers (Gold). Half-pearls and gems are shown on the card with Stitched Circles.

Click HERE for a video about our Glitter Dots peel-offs.

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4. Back Shimmer Sheetz in color of choice with Clear Double Sided Adhesive Sheet and die cut the Garden Patch. Shown – Turquoise Gemstone. Use a sanding block to lightly sand all pieces to tone down the shine. Use the grid for the card with Light Pink flowers; use the squares for the card with Amethyst flowers. Reminder: A Metal Adaptor Plate is required for die cutting Shimmer Sheetz (or a Precision Base Plate if using the Sizzix Big Shot machine). Review Els’s YouTube video HERE if you are new to this technique.

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5. Die cut another piece of adhesive-backed Shimmer Sheetz with a Stitched Rectangle. Lightly sand. Use largest die with dot pattern for card with Light Pink flowers; use next-to-largest die with dot pattern for card with Amethyst flowers. Shown – for card with Light Pink flowers use Australian Opal Gemstone, for card with Amethyst flowers use Blue Iridescent.

6. Die cut largest Stitched Rectangle with dot pattern from turquoise cardstock.

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7. Starting with a solid color side-fold A2-size card base, assemble the card fronts and complete the projects as shown in the photos.

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8. Use foam tape under the flowers for added dimension. Alternate large and small flowers as shown or arrange flowers as you prefer.

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9. Instead of the Garden Patch die, die cut and lightly sand six 1 3/4” Shimmer Sheetz Stitched Circles with dotted edge and arrange them on the card front in three rows, two circles per row.
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SUPPLIES:

Elizabeth Craft Designs –

Garden Patch 1 3/8” & Mini Daffodils
Stitched Rectangles
Stitched Circles
Metal Adaptor Plate (required for die cutting Shimmer Sheetz)
Shimmer Sheetz in Amethyst and Australian Opal Gemstone
Shimmer Sheetz in Light Pink and Blue Iridescent
(or Shimmer Sheetz in colors of choice)
Flowers Peel-offs in Gold and Black
Glitter Dots Peel-offs in Purple, Green, Violet, Gold (or colors of choice)
Fine point scissors
Clear Double Sided Adhesive Sheets

Other supplies –

Sanding block
Cardstock in turquoise; A2 size cards in brown and turquoise
Foam tape
Non-stick scissors to cut foam tape
Adhesive-backed gems and half-pearls
Precision Base Plate (if using Big Shot machine)

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  • Shari February 14, 2016 at 11:07 pm

    So incredibly beautiful. ???

  • Jeanette Horner February 13, 2016 at 10:26 pm

    Very pretty and creative cards….love tge colors also…

  • Kimberly O. February 13, 2016 at 5:07 pm

    Beautiful cards! I particularly like the rainbow-ish background card. 🙂 Shimmer Sheetz are so neat!! I also like the “stitched” dies that were used.

  • JUDI KAUFFMAN February 12, 2016 at 3:00 pm

    Thank you, Janice, Raquel and Marjorie! I hope I did justice to Susan’s Garden Patch die with this, my first project as a guest designer for her. They sure were fun to do. Raquel, I think all of the ‘Stitched’ die series are terrifc in Shimmer Sheetz, but those circles are in the running for first place/favorite!

  • Marjorie February 12, 2016 at 11:18 am

    The cards are absolutely beautiful!!!

  • Raquel February 12, 2016 at 10:39 am

    My favorite is the 3rd card – love the stitched circles cut from Shimmer Sheetz!

  • Janice February 12, 2016 at 10:03 am

    Just stunning, Judi! Love, love, love these beautiful cards!!!

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