Monster Birthday Card & a Crafty Tip – How to Size Your Digi to Fit in a Specific Die

It's the second outing for these no-brand slimline card dies I bought with a Amazon Christmas gift card. You can see the first try on this Hoppy Easter Card. Unlike my first attempt, this time I used the dies as they're intended. I do believe I like this version better.

The digis are from Prettygrafik's Monster Birthday Boy digi pack and as I normally do with these stamps, I used other PNG images in the set to accentuate the main images. I added the sentiments with Chiller font. Questions about PNG images? See my PNG tutorial.

Paper is from a Max Bringmann pad with no identifying name. Not that that would do me any good. These Max Bringmann pads I pick up at Aldi I can never find a link for online. Little googly eyes on the digis and foam star stickers serve as embellishments.

*Crafty Tip* Sizing your digi to fit within a favorite die in your preferred image processing program can be difficult, especially if you're sizing down. You size it, think it will fit, print it out and it doesn't. You try it again. Nope, still doesn't work. You go back yet again, even smaller, only to find this time it's too small. Grrrrr...after several attempts and printouts, you finally get it right.

An easy way to avoid this problem (and to save printer ink, paper, and your nerves) is to create a template file for your dies, with an example of a digi that will fit within the die you want to use. You do have to go through that angst the first time, true, but from there on out it's easy peasy! For example, with this die I now have an image saved as 'Slimline Small Square Template'. I saved the digis I used here as they fit perfectly in the smallest squares. In fact, I lined up the three so I can print them out all at once on one sheet of paper. Next time I want to use these dies and make sure my digital image will fit in the die, I'll go to the template and then drag in the new digital image I want to use, preferable a PNG (as the background is clear) over the old image and size it the same. I then delete the old digi underneath and 'save as' the file with a new name. Voila ! I'm good to go. These template images are then stored in a Template folder. When I'm using a digi I want to make sure will fit in a specific die, I go to the template file for that die, assured my printed image will fit in the die I want to use.

Supply List
Paper – cardstock, Max Bringmann paper pad

Digital Stamps – Prettygrafik Monster Birthday Boy
Dies – no-brand slimline die
Embellishments – googly eyes, foam star stickers
Spectrum Noir Illustrator markers
Art-n-Fly white pen

I'm linking up with: Little Red Wagon #596 – Monsters Everywhere, Crafting Happiness Challenges #92 – Kites or ATG, PIP Challenge 2115 – ATG, CD Sunday Plus – ATG, and Pattie's Creations #181 – Birthdays.