Heilan Coos Birthday Card Tutorial with Ink Blended Die Cut Panel by Shilo Miles

Heilan Coos Birthday Card Tutorial with Ink Blended Die Cut Panel by Shilo Miles

Today we’re rolling out the crafty red carpet for Shilo Miles and this absolutely adorable birthday card featuring our sweet Heilan Coos Stamp Set. Shilo has such a special way of thinking outside the box, and this card is the perfect example of that creative magic. From the layered textures and stitched details to the playful paper choices and twine bow, every little element comes together in a way that feels both rustic and charming. We especially love how she paired the Heilan Coos Stamp Set with the For the Gentlemen Pattern Paper for a look that feels unique, unexpected, and full of personality. Even better, Shilo is also sharing a helpful technique tutorial for creating a softly ink blended focal panel with a crisp white border using a die from her stash.

Here’s what Shilo had to say about her beautiful creation:


Hi everyone! This is Shilo ! Happy Wednesday! Today’s card is featuring the Heilan Coos Stamp Set with some masculine inspiration! I don’t know about you, BUT I don’t make nearly enough masculine cards. I’m not sure why that is? - I always enjoy making them. 
I find if I add distressing, masculine colors, and texture they come together fairly easily. To create this card today, I did just that. 
To start, I colored my cow with Copics and fussy cut him out. Because I was making a masculine card I immediately went to my For the Gentlemen paper pack – it is FULL of great patterns to get you going with those masculine vibes. I chose two patterns that coordinated together, but also in the brown tones to go with my cow. For some reason the cow had me thinking cowboy energy…so I added a barbed wire background (from my stash).  I inked up the edges of all my papers and used my distress tool to rough up the two pattern pieces to get rid of their crisp edges. 

I wanted to create a focal panel for my cute cow and sentiment – so I used a die cut from my stash and inked the center, creating a white border.

 A quick how to for this technique:
  • After die cutting your panel (this can be postage, rectangular, circular, etc – whatever you choose) lay the die back on top of the cut piece – ensure the cut piece fits back into the die properly.
  • Hold your paper and die in place. Use an ink blending brush to blend around the edge of the die. Blend from the outer edge of the die and go towards the center of the paper - as much or as little as you like. I usually leave the center of my panel white.
  • Once you lift the die from your panel you should have a crisp edge where the metal die covered your paper. This leaves that border affect. 
  • Make sure to clean off your die before putting it away….otherwise the ink will transfer to your next project
I used foam tape to layer all my papers as I wanted the added dimension and texture. I also wrapped some twine arounds my card for more texture and I felt it helped with the cowboy vibes. Because this is a birthday card I added some sequins for shine and to help my card to feel a bit celebratory.

Like My Card? Here Are the Supplies I Used:


If you're heading over to shop...I have a discount code for you - it will save you 10% off your order (does not include sales & clearance)!
 DISCOUNT CODE: SHILO

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope I inspired you to pull out those Crafty Stamp Co supplies and make some masculine cards! Be sure to check back here to catch all the amazing projects being shown by our team.


I hope you have a lovely day!

~Shilo XO


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