Cuttlebug & Nestabilities are Like Peas & Carrots

Posted by Kelly Nicole

August 4, 2008

Embossed cards are some of my favorite to make. They’re quick, simple, and it doesn’t take much to make ‘em look pretty. I like to call them my ten minute cards. You might be able to buy some blank embossed cards at a craft store, but if you have the right supplies, you can easily whip up your own.

You’ll need a set of Nestabilities large rectangle dies and a die cutting machine. I own a Cuttlebug, but any machine that is compatible with the Nestabilities dies will work.

Once you have the supplies, you can make really easy gift sets that your friends and family will love. Here’s a quick tutorial on how to make your own embossed cards:

Supplies:

Cuttlebug Die Cutting Machine
Two Cuttlebug “B” plates and one “A” plate (these come with the machine)
The largest die in the Spellbinders Nestabilities large rectangles set
One Spellbinders Embossing Mat
One half sheet of cardstock
One extra scrap piece of cardstock that is larger than the die

1. Take your half sheet of white cardstock and score it in half.

2. Take the Nestabilities rectangle die and center it on one half of your scored cardstock.

3. Stick a one inch piece of Scotch tape and on your jeans about 3 or 4 times so that it’s only slightly sticky. Now, use the tape to hold the die in place on the cardstock.

4. Basically, the Cuttlebug machine works using a sandwich method. It’s a little tedious, but it allows the Cuttlebug to be compatible with dies from many different brands. The next step is to set up the sandwich so that you can churn it through the bug. Here is the sandwich “recipe” for Nestabilities dies, starting from the bottom layer: