A masculine card with Art Deco style rectangle die...

I always struggle to create masculine cards for my stash, so when I received these rectangle dies from In Love Art Shop, I thought they might be perfect for a masculine card. They're called Nesting Rectangle Photo Frame Dies on their site, but I think they have an Art Deco appeal. The discount code you can use to purchase them is G-37356.

It took a few tries to figure out how to cut the delicate lines of this die successfully, but once I did, it cut beautifully. Here's what I recommend:

1. Always use quality cardstock that isn't too thin.

2. Place a piece of waxed paper between the cutting side of the die and your cardstock and secure both the waxed paper and the cardstock to the die with a little washi tape or other removable tape.

3. Use a shim on top of the cardstock. I like to use a piece of a foam sheet that mailed items are often wrapped in, but I think you could use a scrap piece of cardstock, too.

4. Finally, run the die through your die-cutting machine only once. This is important. I found that when I tried to bring it back through the machine, the cardstock would move ever so slightly and the die would then cut through one or more of the delicate lines of the design.

Once I had these steps figured out, the rest was easy! If you have some delicate dies that give you a little trouble when you use them, try these steps and see if they help.

My retro car looks so much better IRL. I cut it out of off-white cardstock and then used a finger dauber to add some color to the embossed areas. I also added some glossy accents to the headlights and some Nuvo Drops to the center of each wheel. Both the car and the sentiment rectangle are popped up on foam squares.

I have this fun stamp which I thought was perfect for the inside of my card. 

I then decided to use the smaller of the two dies in the set to make a more feminine card. I used the same process for cutting out this die, and once again, it worked perfectly.

I've had this cute bird-patterned cardstock for a long time, so I figured it was time to use it! I made my card base, attached my rectangle die-cut with some spray adhesive and then added my flowers, bird and sentiment.

My flowers were cut from white cardstock, and I blended a little ink onto their centers.  I also inked the edges of the leaves and my bird.

On the inside of my card I stamped a sentiment and added a strip of cardstock along with one of the birds that I had fussy-cut from the sheet of patterned cardstock.

I've been dreaming up some other ideas for these rectangle dies, and I hope to share them with you in the future. I think the style of these dies is so classy, and they definitely work well for any kind of card.

We've got a fabulous stretch of weather ahead of us, and I'm really looking forward to seeing all our snow melt away. I'm more than ready for Spring!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.

Cheryl