How to use the Double Sided Flower Dies

Here at Crafter’s Companion, we’re always trying to think of the next best thing in the crafting world. We want to produce innovative products that help you to create the most beautiful projects possible and help you save time in the process. With this product, we think we’ve done exactly that… say hello to the Double Sided Flower Dies!

The concept behind these dies is that one die features a design on each side to help you create layered images with ease. This is an exclusive design to Crafter’s with patented technology, so we’re very excited about it! They will help you to save time, whilst giving you that precise and accurate cut that you know and love from our range of dies. Instead of having to roll two individual dies through the machine to create two layers, you will only need to use the one.

These Double-Sided Dies will make an inventive and incredibly useful addition to your crafting stash, so it’s perfect for all papercrafting fans.

For the first round of Double Sided Dies, we’ve stuck to one of our favourite themes – flowers! This is because they’re great for multiple occasions and seasons, and plus, they’re just ridiculously pretty. So the designs we have lined up for you are:

• Rose – perfect for summer! Try pairing these dies up with red and pink shades.
• Dahlia – this is great for adding a burst of colour to a project.
• Cosmos – a really fun late summer flower. Use a spectrum of shades to create a cosmos garden.
• Peony – a flower fan favourite! These dies are perfect for edges.

Alongside this collection of flowers, we’re also giving you a set of fun foliage dies to help you complete the image. Use the Sprigs and Blossoms set to add dainty buds and flourishing leaves! You can mix and match them with any of the flowers to create the illusion of closed flowers beside the open ones, which would be so pretty for spring projects.

As these dies are double-sided, they need an intense amount of pressure to make sure that each side cuts through your chosen material accurately. Because of this, we highly recommend that you use the Double Sided Die-Cutting Plates. These are specially formulated plates that will be able to withstand the pressure needed, where your normal cutting plates would become damaged and cracked. The Double Sided Plates are much thicker and while they will be better suited for the Double Sided Dies, they should still be cared for and flipped after each use to prevent bowing.

Now that we’ve covered all of the questions that you might have, let’s get down to the method. At a glance, these dies may look a little complicated to use, but they’re actually so simple. Check out this little step-by-step guide to find out how to create your very own flower.

1. To begin your sandwich, lay your first Double Sided Die-Cutting Plate down.
2. Add your darkest shade of card on top.
3. Lay the first Double Sided Die down to the card, making sure that you lay the cutting side for the first layer on to the card.
4. Add your next lightest shade of card on top of the die.
5. Finish the sandwich with a plastic shim and the final Double Sided Die-Cutting Plate.
6. Roll this through your die-cutting machine and be amazed as the die cuts out two individual designs from two pieces of card.
7. Continue this method with the other the remaining dies, using gradually lighter card as you create the flower layers and shades of green for the leaves.
8. Once you have all your individual pieces, start with the largest base piece. Use a small amount of adhesive or foam pads to attach the next layer, then continue until you have formed your full flower.
9. Follow the same steps for the leaves, then adhere these to your projects with a small amount of adhesive or foam pads.

It really is that simple! It’s like using a regular die, except you need special plates and an extra piece of card. If you need more of a visual aid, have a watch of Craig Laird’s how to video below.

We hope that this post has answered any questions that you might have about the Double Sided Flower Dies and possibly given you a bit of inspiration! Make sure you show us how you layer yours and all the projects that you create with them by sharing your photos on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #crafterscompanion.