How to Create a Clean and Simple With Love Card

Hello there, Michelle Short here to share a step-by-step tutorial with you using the Steamboat Willie Duo Etched Dies from the Say Cheese Classic Mouse Collection. This set is fantastic as you can really mix and match the different elements – there are 3 different arms you can use, you can have the mice wear hats or not, there are also flowers that can be added or not. It’s great to be able to customise them as you wish!

STEP 1 – DIE CUTTING THE MOUSE

Die cut the male mouse and flower stem from Steamboat Willie Duo Etched Dies:

1. Cut pieces of ColorWheel Cardstock to be slightly larger than the size of the dies.
2. Place the mouse’s body, head, tail, and arms onto Raven ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
3. Place the pants and mouth piece onto Poppy ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
4. Place face of mouse onto Alabaster ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.

5. Place buttons of pants onto Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
6. Place shoes onto Beeswax ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
7. Place flower onto Lilac ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
8. Place stem onto Rainforest ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.

Holding dies down with tape prevents them from shifting when going through the die-cutting machine. Use a low-tack tape like Best Ever Craft Tape so that it removes easily from the cardstock.

9. Create your die cutting plate sandwich – (top to bottom) A Platform Base, B Platform Top, C Cutting Plate, cardstock pieces with dies on top, C Cutting Plate.
10. Run through Platinum SIX Die Cutting Machine.
11. Remove dies from cardstock and pop out die cuts.

STEP 2 – ASSEMBLE MOUSE

1. Add Bearly Art Glue onto the back of the face and adhere to head.

2. To add colour to the tongue, flip the head over and add glue around the mouth opening, adhere the mouth piece that you cut from red cardstock on top. Set head piece aside.
3. Repeat the same process for the white piece behind the pants buttons, so that white shows through the front.

4. Adhere pants to body, followed by shoes.

5. Adhere arms to the back of the body, making sure the hand on the right-hand side is in front of the pants at the front.

6. Apply a small amount of the glue to the top of the body and adhere head on top.
7. Flip over and add a piece of Best Ever Craft Tape on the back to secure in place.

TIP: Adding Best Ever Craft Tape on the back helps to hold the head in place while the glue dries and also adds stability to the mouse.

8. Add a small amount of glue to the top of the tail and adhere to the back of the body, reinforce with Best Ever Craft Tape on the back.

9. Adhere flower head to stem.
10. Lift up mouse’s thumb and place stem underneath, adding a little glue behind the stem to hold in place.

STEP 3 – DIE CUTTING THE GRASS

1. Place grass die from Landscape Edges Etched Dies onto a piece of Rainforest ColorWheel Cardstock. Hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
2. Run through Platinum Six Die Cutting Machine.

STEP 4 – STAMP SENTIMENT

1. Take A2 sized (4.25” x 5.5”) white card base and place inside Mini MISTI (or stamp positioner of choice).
2. Place grass at the bottom of the card base as a guide for where to stamp.
3. Take ‘with love’ sentiment from Typewriter Adventure Sentiments Clear Stamp Set and place it face down onto card above the grass on the right-hand side.
4. Close door of Mini MISTI to pick up the stamp.

5. Remove grass from Mini MISTI.
6. Ink up stamp using black ink.
7. Close Mini MISTI door to stamp the sentiment onto the card.

STEP 5 – ASSEMBLE THE CARD

1. Add Bearly Art Glue to the back of the grass piece and adhere to bottom of card.

2. Flip card over and using the edge of the card as a guide, cut off grass overhanging the sides using scissors.

3. Add foam squares onto the back of the mouse and flower head. Cut some of the foam squares to make them smaller using scissors.

4. Remove backings off of foam tape (I like to use tweezers for this).
5. Adhere mouse to card.

TIP: Tweezers are a great tool in cardmaking – you can use them to place die cuts, remove backings off foam tape, and even use them to scrape off the little “hairs” that you can get from the edges of cardstock when die cutting!

6. To finish, add a yellow Say Cheese Enamel Dot Classic Mouse Enamel Dot to the centre of the flower. I like to use the pokey end on the Tool ‘N One to help place the dot.

I chose grass to ground my mouse, but you could simply add a strip of cardstock for him to stand on if you don’t have a grass die. Thank you so much for stopping by today, I hope you have a wonderful day!

Other Supplies

Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink