Trend Watch – Inlaid Dies

A trend that has been popping up all over the place in paper crafting lately is inlaid dies. Projects that feature inlaid dies do anything but “pop up,” though! Images are die cut and then the die cut space is filled with a second die cut to create a smooth surface, accenting your favorite dies! We’ll take a look at some of the great inlaid die projects that are out there today.

Sarah’s card is a great Clean & Simple design that features butterfly outlines. I also love how the sentiment adds to the whimsy of the card.

Butterfly Hello by Sarah Gray, courtesy Funky Fossil Designs

This card takes advantage of a die to create a border between the two color panels. Leigh selected some fun colors to accent the scripty “hello”.

Hello by Leigh Penner, courtesy to the full

Miriam took on the idea of filling a shape with small stamps and used small dies instead of stamps. The colored flowers look gorgeous within the design. They really “pop,” even though they’re flush with the card front!

You Complete Me by Miriam Pranter, courtesy taylored expressions

JJ used a church die to produce the inlaid die effect on this wedding card, but then turned the rest of the die-cut openings into windows with shaker glitter behind them! The glitter really gives the windows a stained glass look.

Now and Forever by JJ Bolton, courtesy handmade cards by jj bolton

Maile’s card is so fun and cheery. I absolutely love the die she used from Papertrey Ink, which was just perfect for the inlaid die effect! I like how she filled the balloons but left the rest of the shape open; which left the delicate balloon strings on their own – they stand out so much more this way.

Let’s Party by Maile Belles, courtesy simply stamped by maile belles

Kay created the gorgeous background on this card with distress ink and then cut out the snow globe and reinserted a white version. It really allows the globe and snowflakes to stand out from the background.

Sparkle and Shine by Kay Miller, courtesy My Joyful MOMENTS

This card by Virginia has an inlaid die background with a sequin shaker panel in front of it! There are so many great things going on in this card. I love the various “heart flowers” in the background.

Love by Virginia Lu, courtesy Yes, Virginia

This card by Betsy is SO fantastic. The inlaid die effect was perfect for this die! The colorful buildings are gorgeous, as are the lanterns above the street!

Celebrate Today by Betsy Veldman, courtesy Paper, Scissors, SuperHeroes

Here are a couple of the dies you’ve seen used in this post:

Memory Box Floating Butterflies Die

Papertrey Ink Text Block: Party Time Die

Papertrey Ink Cover Plate: Chinatown Die

I challenge you to explore the dies already in your stash and just see what kinds of gorgeous inlaid die projects you can produce!