Waltzingmouse Stamps Grand Calibur Party!

Note: this is my second post for today. Please scroll down for Sketch Saturday. Thanks!

Have you heard the news? Waltzingmouse Stamps is hosting a party celebrating our brand new Grand Calibur machines, courtesy of the ultra-generous and ultra-fantastic Spellbinders! You probably already know that Waltzingmouse Stamps is a leader in creating stamps that are "Nestie" friendly, and is product partners with Spellbinders. We couldn't have been more thrilled to have received this gift to enhance our Spellbinders experience!

At first, I didn't think that I really needed a Grand Calibur, but now that I've played with it, it's most definitely a must-have! I can honestly say the cutting is smooth and deep. I love that it suctions to your table for stability and cranks easily. But most of all, I love the larger platform and the way you can lay out and cut all your pieces at once!

My first card demonstrates this perfectly...

First, I laid out all the dies of Blossom on patterned paper and cut them all out in one swipe!

Then I cut the card base by layering two pieces of cardstock under the largest of the Labels 8 die, and cut them at the same time with the second largest of Labels 8 on patterned paper to make the mat. The Grand Calibur cut through both layers of cardstock cleanly and easily!

I then scored the end of what would become the back of my card one quarter inch from the top.

And used strong "red" tape to adhere it to the front of my card...

I rolled and crumpled all of the layers of the Blossom and inked the edges (except for the smallest piece, which I substituted for a brad to hold all the layers together. I also inked the edges of the card base and background mat with Tim Holtz Walnut Stain distress ink, which I used to stamp the greeting from Sewing Box Hugs. Don't be afraid to cut your greetings like I did to make them fit your space. That's the beauty of acrylic stamps!

I also used an image from Sewing Box Hugs in my next card.

I love the simplicity of this card... and I love that I was able to cut the aperture so easily with the Grand Calibur.

I first made the card base, cut a patterned paper mat from Echo Park's Be Mine collection, chose my stamp, and then selected the correct sizes of Spellbinders Classic Rectangles Large to fit my image and allow for the "frame."

I opened up the card, taped the larger die to the patterned paper with Scotch Removable Tape, and used a paper piercer to put tiny holes in the four corners of the smaller die through the card base to mark the spot to cut.

Once the patterned piece was removed, it was easy to take the smaller die and match it up to the tiny holes, tape it down, and then cut both at the same time with the Grand Calibur.

I used the embossing pad that comes with the Grand Calibur to run the card base through one more time to create an embossed edge to my "frame." I love the way it turned out!

Simple pimple, as Claire would say!

Finally, I made a cute card with one of my favorite stamp sets Half Pint Heroes. The dotted circle is from Faux Fun Circles.

This card also follows this week's sketch at Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge. To make the "waves," I first cut the larger die from Jumbo Scalloped Borderabilities Petite and then cut that in half, layering one piece over the other with pop dots. Once again, all I needed was one swipe through the Grand Calibur!

Oh, one thing to note: the recommended sandwich puts Plate C (the cutting plate) on the top. But I always put mine on the bottom and cut "down." I prefer to see where I'm cutting, especially when I'm cutting out a stamped image, like the dotted circle. Also, I removed the tray from my Grand Calibur so that I can easily use 8 1/2 x 11 paper. You can find instructions for this here.

I hope you've been inspired! Be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win a stamp set of choice. For more details on all the party festivities and ways to win, hop on over to the Waltzingmouse Stamps blog where you'll find links to the other design team members posting with me today... and those who posted yesterday and will post tomorrow. You won't want to miss all the fun!