Easy Hello Friend Card Tutorial with Layered Dies and Ink Blending

Hello crafters! It’s Lisa Tilson here with you today to share a card featuring the Layered Hello Friend Etched Dies from the Essentially Yours Sentiments Collection. I am going to be taking you through making this card with a step-by-step photo tutorial. It’s a sweet and simple card to make – a little die cutting, some ink blending, and finally the assembly.

Hello Friend

For all of the die cutting, use the Platinum SIX Die Cutting Machine with the die cutting sandwich as follows (from bottom to top):

• Plate A – Platform Base
• Plate B – Platform Top
• Plate C – Cutting Plate
• Plate C – Cutting Plate

The cardstock/die will be inserted between the two cutting plates with the die sitting on top of the cardstock, cutting side down.

Die Cutting the Sentiment, Flowers, Sprigs and Oval Panels

Note: the dies are turned cutting side up in the photographs to make it easier to see what is being cut. Your dies will need to be placed onto the cardstock, cutting side down.

1. Place the Layered Hello Friend Etched Dies onto cardstock. Use Gold Assortment Treasured Cardstock (Matte Metallic) for the word die and Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock for the shadow die.
2. Take the Layered Anemone Etched Dies and place the anemone petals, stems, leaves, and flower centres onto Classic White Cardstock. There are two sizes of anemones in the set. The slightly smaller set is used for this card.
3. Take the Sealed Botanical Sprigs Etched Dies and place the two sprigs onto Classic White Cardstock.

4. Tape the dies in place using Best Ever Craft Tape and then run them through the Platinum SIX Die Cutting Machine. Place the die cuts into a Craft Stax for safe storage.

5. Repeat the die cutting of the anemone petals, centres, stems and leaves.

6. Take the Scallop and Stitched Edge Ovals Etched Dies and die cut the scalloped die from Seaside ColorWheel Cardstock.
7. Die cut the largest oval from Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock.

8. Finally, die cut the bow included in Scallop and Stitched Edge Ovals Etched Dies from Classic White Cardstock.

Ink Blending the Flowers

1. Place the two stems onto a Stampwheel Sticky Mat and, using a Medium Blending Brush, apply Green Apple Core Ink onto both stems.

2. Place the two small leaves onto the sticky mat and blend Green Apple Core Ink onto both of them.

3. Using a combination of mini and medium blending brushes, apply Fresh Lawn Core Ink onto the bottom sections of the leaves, and the top and bottom areas of the stems.

4. Place the two sets of anemone flowers onto the sticky mat and apply Ultra Pink Core Ink onto two of them and Passion Flower Core Ink onto the other two.

TIP: After loading your brush with ink, tap off any excess onto a scrap piece of paper before bringing it to the flower die cut. Apply the ink with a soft hand. This helps to minimise the risk of brush marks on the die‑cut. TIP: Blend the ink outwards from the centre of the flower, making sure to leave the outer edges a pale pink or purple.

5. Using a mini blending brush, apply Raspberry Jam Core Ink into the centres of the pink flowers, fading it out towards the ends of the petals.

6. Apply Orchid Core Ink into the centres of the purple flowers, again, fading it out towards the ends of the petals.

7. Apply Dandelion Core Ink over the two rounded flower centres.

8. Apply Butter Car Core Ink onto the small curved flower centre die cuts.

Assembling the Flowers, Sentiment and Oval Panels

1. Put a small dab of Bearly Art Glue into the centres of two of the flowers and using tweezers, pop the other flower piece on top.

2. Put dabs of liquid glue onto the flower centres. Using the pick-up tool from the Handy Craft Tool Set, pick up the two rounded flower centres and adhere them onto the flowers.

3. Put tiny dots of glue onto the edge of the rounded centres and then adhere the curved, darker yellow pieces onto them.

4. Add liquid glue to the top of each flower stem and adhere the two flowers. The ink-blended leaves were omitted from the card design in the end and have been saved for another project.

5. Add Bearly Art Glue onto the back of the gold sentiment.

6. Place this down onto the white shadow die cut.

7. Adhere the white oval onto the Seaside scallop oval using Bearly Art Glue.

8. Temporarily position the sentiment onto the oval panel. Pop a few dabs of glue onto the back of the double sprig and adhere it in place.

9. Repeat the process for the single sprig.

TIP: Add glue to the centre section of the die cut and leave the rest free of glue. This gives a more natural look to the flower spray.

10. Adhere the pink flower so that it leans a little to the right.

11. Adhere the purple flower so it leans a little to the left.

12. Adhere the white bow where all the stems cross.

Die Cutting the Oval Base and Assembling the Card

1. Take the Essential Stylish Ovals Etched Dies and die cut the second largest die twice from Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock. These two ovals will create the base card.

2. Cut a small slither off the bottom of one of the ovals using a Guillotine Paper Trimmer. This will enable the card to stand up once assembled.

3. Place the second oval onto a 12” x 12” Scoring Board and score a small line near the top of one end. This score line will act as a hinge when adhered to the other oval.

4. Turn the scored oval piece over and apply liquid glue onto the small area above the score line. Place the other oval on top and hold it in place so that both ovals adhere together at the top.

5. When the base is dry, you will see that you need to cut a small slither off the scored oval so that it matches the back oval. The base card will now have a straight edge at the bottom of each oval which enables it to stand up.

6. Adhere your scalloped panel onto your base card.

7. To finish, add some Gold Mix Color Essential Gems around the flower stems and one onto the centre of the bow.

That brings us to the end of the card. I hope this step-by-step tutorial is helpful! If you would like to see more of my cards, I would love to have you join me over on my blog, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube. In the meantime, thank you so much for being with me here on the Spellbinders blog today. I hope that you have a wonderful day!