Faux Inlay Die Cutting…made easy.

I love the look of inlay die cutting; however, it can be very time consuming depending on the dies that you use. The more pieces you have the longer it takes to place everything. If you like to do puzzles it’s not so bad. What if we could make a card incorporating the inlaid look but with less steps and save some time? I think I have a solution. This solution may already be out there, but I want to say I figured this out on my own…. I don’t get many great ideas so I celebrate this rare occurrence with a happy dance and a big smile. 🙂

To create this look I started by using my Potted Succulents die, the big background one, and embossed it onto a piece of Misty Moonlight (4 1/4 x 5 1/2). In order to emboss with your die instead of cutting with it you will need plates 1,2, 4, and the thick embossing mat. Below is a picture of the order of the plates. Take your cardstock and tape the die to it. Flip it so that the die cutting edge is facing up and place your embossing mat over the card stock.
Sandwich is as follows: Platform – 1, adapter insert – 2, die with cutting edge up, card stock, rubber embossing mat, specialty plate – 4

Run your sandwich through the die cutting machine.

The next step I discovered through some trial and error. What I discovered was a huge time saver. I used an adhesive sheet and applied it to the back of my Basic Black card stock. I then ran it through the die cutting machine like a normal cut: (using numbers 1,2,3) I then placed the die cut down on some press ‘n seal so that the adhesive was on the back side. Then I basically pealed the Basic Black card stock off the adhesive backing. I wasn’t super worried about all the little pieces as I was planning on only using the outline. Separating the backing from the card stock makes it easy to peel it away from all the little pieces and because it was sticky I just laid it over the top of my embossed piece. I did a little trimming to even up the sides. If you are careful and try and get your embossed piece as straight as possible then it won’t be crooked when you place the die cut over the top.

Because the original piece was embossed and the pattern was raised it gave my art piece an inlaid look without having to place all those tiny little pieces. Hooray!