Natural materials are all the rage right now. Cork, canvas, and wooden accents and embellishments are popping up all over. One of the best things about the Inspiration electronic die cutter is that you can cut a lot of these thicker materials yourself!
I wanted to stretch my limits and cram as many natural materials on one project as I could—I was totally gung ho for a challenge! After thinking about it awhile, I came up with the idea to make a pennant from each of the different materials I had: cork, faux leather textured paper, and 1/16th inch balsa. All of the different materials got me thinking about my Dad, who is a serious handyman. What handyman’s card would be complete without a little duct tape and twine?
This card design is simple: just banners and text. It’s the specialty materials that take it over the top. While the Inspiration will cut all of these materials, the settings will differ. Unlike the rest of the team, I don’t get to cut every day, so sometimes I’m on the learning curve. This was my first time cutting the cork and balsa and I learned a lot. Here’s what I think you should know…
Cork: Adhesive-backed cork cuts much cleaner than regular cork. I had to put the cork face-down on the mat because the glossy protective back wouldn’t hold to the mat. There will be cork bits on your mat. Be ready with a mat scraper, or use a mat near the end of its life. I did test cuts until I found a setting that worked in one pass because I felt like the two-pass method was making the edges more crumbly.
Balsa: My balsa cut cleanly after two passes. If you have extra thick or grainy balsa, there might be a spot or two on the edge that will want some sanding. You will need two or more passes to cut through 1/16th inch. If your pressure is too high, it might shift the balsa around on the mat—yep, it happened to me!—take extra precaution and tape the balsa in place with painter’s blue tape which will hold without damaging your mat.
Faux Leather Textured Paper: Cuts just like regular cardstock! This was by far the easiest cut.
Duct Tape: We had a query on our Facebook as to whether or not the Inspiration will cut duct tape. The answer, as you can see here, is yes! Duct tape now comes in sheets with a backing (similar to vinyl) which makes for a much easier cut. But unlike vinyl, duct tape is full of fiber. Michelle has experimented with cutting duct tape this week. Her discoveries include to use a low blade, low speed, and a medium pressure (a little more than for vinyl) and to do two passes. We also discovered that unlike vinyl, fine detail is difficult with duct tape as the amount of fiber just doesn’t allow for sharp corners and tight spaces. The letters shown here are about an inch high to give you an idea of the detail duct tape can handle.
I hope this has inspired you to stretch your limits and try new things. That was my goal, and I feel the so good for achieving it!
Happy Crafting!
~Amanda
Supplies:
- Bazzill Basics Monochromatic cardstock (Parakeet, Admiral)
- My Mind’s Eye paper (Magnolia)
- Balsa wood, 1/16th inch sheet
- Adhesive-backed cork
- Faux leather textured paper
- Duck Brand duct tape sheets
- Tim Holtz Idea-ology Game Spinners
- Darice hemp cord
- Brad
- Adhesive
Nice note-taking….LOL! BTW…if you don’t want to use actual duct tape, DCWV used to make a pad of paper that they labeled to resemble metal. I have used the silver a lot and everyone who sees it thinks that it is duct tape. There are many shiny colors….cuts easy too.
Silver pipe fitters tape for heating ducts works great!
VERY COOL!!!