Cover plates are incredibly versatile. You can use them to create texture, highlight just part of their design, or turn the entire die-cut panel into a bold background. These three projects from the STAMPlorations archives show just how different the results can be depending on how you use the same type of die.
Create Texture Instead of a Die-Cut Background
Deepti started with watercolor cardstock and used the Zen Doodled Birthday Cake Cover Plate Die to emboss the cardstock, creating a subtle textured pattern rather than cutting the panel apart. She then watercolored the embossed panel in bright, vibrant colors. To finish the card, she heat embossed a sentiment from the Birthday Bash stamp set and added white pigment splatters.
It's a great reminder that a cover plate doesn't always have to be used to create a separate die-cut layer. Try embossing with the die instead to add texture to your background while keeping the cardstock intact.
Use Only Part of the Design
This card uses the Bloomtangled #1 Cover Plate in a different way. Rather than using the entire die-cut panel, I kept the top portion of the design and left the bottom of the card base clean. That open space gave me a perfect place to stamp the sentiment from the Bold Sentiments: Fearless stamp set. Keeping the cover plate design confined to one area of the card gives the intricate die-cut plenty of room to shine without overwhelming the sentiment.
Don't be afraid to trim, cut, or use only part of a cover plate. You don't have to use the entire design just because that's the size of the die.
Make the Entire Die-Cut the Star
Chris took the opposite approach and let the entire Zen Doodled Birthday Gifts Cover Plate create a bold, colorful background. She die cut it from festive patterned paper and adhered it to a black card base, allowing the bright colors and intricate design to really pop. For the sentiment, she cut the Celebrate Big phrase die three times from purple cardstock, stacked the layers together for dimension, and added Stardust Stickles for sparkle. She then cut it again from white cardstock and adhered it offset underneath the stacked sentiment to create a contrasting shadow.
Here, the cover plate does become the full background, but the strong contrast and dimensional sentiment keep the card from feeling visually flat.
Think Beyond the Obvious
There isn't one “right” way to use a cover plate. The fun is in deciding how much of the design you want to see -- and how you want it to work with the rest of your card.
And if you've had your eye on a CUTplorations cover plate -- or another die you've been meaning to try -- all CUTplorations dies are 15% off during our August sale. It's a good time to experiment with a few new ways to use the dies already in your stash, too.
Until next time, keep creating and looking at your supplies in new ways.
