How To Layer Die Cuts To Create A Mediterranean Doorway

Hello there, Michelle Short here to share a step-by-step tutorial with you using Beyond the Door Etched Dies from the La Dolce Vita Collection. This set is fantastic as you can mix and match the different elements to create different scenes and views through the doorway – cobblestones, ocean, clouds, vines and much more!

STEP 1 – DIE CUT THE DOORWAY

1. Place the deep arch door frame and shutter details onto Malibu ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.

2. Create your die cutting plate sandwich – (top to bottom) A Platform Base, B Platform Top, C Cutting Plate, cardstock pieces with dies on top, C Cutting Plate.
3. Run through Platinum SIX Die Cutting Machine.
4. Remove dies from cardstock and pop out die cuts.
5. Die cut another of the shutter details from the same Malibu ColorWheel Cardstock.

6. Place door (which will be used as the sky) onto Breeze ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
7. Run through Platinum SIX Die Cutting Machine.

8. Place thin arch door frame, base layer of shutter, cobblestone ground, parts of steps and cloud onto Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
9. Run through Platinum SIX Die Cutting Machine.
10. Remove dies from cardstock and pop out die cuts.
11. Repeat process to cut another shutter.

Holding dies down with tape prevents them from shifting when going through the die-cutting machine. Use a low-tack tape like Best Ever Craft Tape so that it removes easily from the cardstock.

STEP 2 – ASSEMBLE THE DOORWAY

1. Add Bearly Art Glue onto the back of the deep door frame piece.
2. Adhere onto A2 sized (4.25” x 5.5”) white card base.

I like to use tweezers to place die cuts down. It gives me time to hover them in place before adhering them down.

3. Add glue onto the back of the sky piece and adhere inside door frame.

4. Add glue onto the back of the cobblestone ground piece and adhere to scrap piece of Fog ColorWheel Cardstock.

5. Cut around the edges using scissors.
6. Add glue onto the back and adhere to card at the bottom of the sky piece.

7. Place ocean die onto Waterfall ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
8. Run through Platinum SIX Die Cutting Machine.
9. Add glue onto the back of the die cut and adhere onto a scrap piece of Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock.
10. Cut around the edges with scissors and adhere to card above cobblestone piece.

11. Add glue onto the back of the cloud piece and adhere above ocean.

12. Place steps die onto a piece of Fog ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
13. Run through Platinum SIX Die Cutting Machine.
14. Add glue onto the back of the steps and adhere to the bottom of the doorway.
15. Add glue onto the back of the white pieces of the steps and adhere them on top.

16. Adhere shutter details onto the base layers of the shutters using glue.

17. Add glue onto the back of the shutters and adhere to door frame, one either side.

STEP 3 – DECORATE THE DOORWAY

1. Place vines onto Peridot ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
2. Place double lemons onto Saffron ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
3. Place individual lemons onto Beeswax ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
4. Place large pot onto Terra Cotta ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
5. Place inside of pot piece onto Cinnamon ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
6. Place flower foliage onto Rainforest ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
7. Place flowers onto Orchid ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
8. Place lamp onto Beeswax ColorWheel Cardstock and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
9. Run through Platinum Six Die Cutting Machine.
10. Remove dies from cardstock and pop out die cuts.
11. Repeat process to cut another pot, foliage and flowers.
12. Repeat the process to cut more lemons.

13. Die-cut lamp again from Raven ColorWheel Cardstock.
14. Add glue onto the back and adhere to Beeswax piece.
15. Set aside.

16. Add Bearly Art Glue onto the back of the long vine.
17. Adhere to doorway but do not press down just yet.

18. Add glue onto the back of the curved vine.
19. Adhere so that the end is popped behind the top of the long vine.
20. Press down both to hold in place while glue dries.

I often like to hold die cuts down with paper weights or acrylic blocks. This helps you move onto something else while the glue dries. You can then remove the blocks after a couple of minutes.

21. Add glue onto the back of the lamp.
22. Adhere to the top of the doorway, popping the top underneath the vine.

STEP 4 – CREATE FLOWERPOTS

1. Place foliage inside the top of the pot.
2. Turn over and hold in place with a little Best Ever Craft Tape.

3. Add Bearly Art Glue around the back of the pot rim and adhere the piece you cut from Cinnamon Cardstock on top, to look like the inside of the pot, when looking at it from the front.

4. Turn pot over and add glue to the back of the flowers.
5. Adhere on top of the foliage.
6. Repeat process to create 2^nd

7. Add foam squares on the back of the pots, just on the outer edges. You may need to cut some in half to fit.
8. Add glue onto the other side of the pot.
9. Remove backings off foam tape.
10. Adhere pots to either side of the steps.

STEP 5 – ADD LEMONS

1. Adhere individual lemons onto base layer of double lemons using glue.

2. Adhere onto vines.
3. Adhere the individual lemons onto vines using glue.

STEP 6 – PRESS SENTIMENT

1. Place Porcelain BetterPress A2 Cotton Card Panel onto Platen (clear top plate) of BetterPress Letterpress System.
2. Hold in place at the corners with Best Ever Craft Tape.
3. Place La Dolce Vita Sentiments BetterPress Plate onto Chase (magnetic platform).
4. Add ink onto plate with BetterPress Black Ink by tapping ink onto plate and then twisting ink pad slightly to get good coverage of ink.

5. Place Platen (cardstock side down) onto base (it will pop in place with the magnets on each corner).
6. Run through Platinum Six Die Cutting Machine.
7. Lift Platen off of base.

This is where you need to experiment with how much pressure you need for your machine. Underneath the magnetic platform there are 3 plastic shims. For sentiments, I usually like to remove 2 and use 1. This gives me (most of the time) and good clean impression of the ink. If you feel like there is too much pressure and there is extra ink on the cardstock, remove a shim. If you feel like there is not enough pressure, add one back.

8. Place coordinating die over the sentiments and hold in place with Best Ever Craft Tape.
9. Run through Platinum Six Die Cutting Machine.
10. Remove dies from cardstock and pop out sentiments.
11. Add a foam square onto the right side of the ‘thank you’ sentiment and a thin foam square on the left side (since one side will stick to a single layer of the card base and the other to the multiple layers of the door).
12. Remove backings off foam tape and adhere to card.

STEP 7 – EMBELLISH To finish, add the smallest size of Pink Color Essentials Gems to the centres of the flowers in the pots. I like to use a Tool ‘N One for this. Whilst there are a lot of steps to this card, I really like the simple scene through the doorway and the doorway itself embellished with the flowerpots and lemon vines. Remember though, you can mix and match different elements to suit your needs!

Other Supplies

Thin foam squares.