Delightful Thursday at Digital Delights – Tipsy Mouse birthday step card – and how to make your own enamel dots tutorial

It's another Delightful Thursday at Digital Delights; click on over to see what projects DT members have to share with you today. My card features the Tipsy Mouse stamp and Cheers sentiment set.

I've used Crafts-too Presscut step card die as the base. An enlarged, fussy cut stamp makes the perfect center piece for this card design (as on this LUV U Teddy Valentine's Day card).

Paper is from the long retired Artemio Firenze paper pack; appropriate, I thought, for a masculine card, which this is. Embellishments are my own homemade enamel dots. See quick tutorial below for the how-to.

*Quick Tutorial* Enamel dots have become one of my favorite embellishments. Their light weight and flat shape make them perfect for decorating cards that will be sent through the mail. My only problem is that I can't easily find them so I'm forced to order them on the internet, which can be pricey.

I mentioned this to my talented crafty friend Ginny, of RubberMAD blog fame, who had this to write about making her own enamel dots:

'One of my fave techniques is to use a hole punch - [I have 1/16, 1/8 & 1/4" hole punches] to punch dots out of my primary CS or my mat CS - glue those to my card and then put a drop of Glossy Accents on top.  That gives me a perfectly matched, shiny, faux enamel dot to bling up my project!  I can also use  gold foil or other colors on them. Cheap and effective!'

None of the enamel dot colors I had coordinated well with this Tipsy Mouse card, and since I wanted to use a lot, even if one had, I'd have had to use a whole pack! I was scratching my head, wondering what else would do, when I remembered what Ginny had said.

I thought of this recently purchased hollow circle die (sold under various names on eBay and Amazon) and of all the little bits left over when it cuts – perfect for enamel dots! I cut the die with a piece of the same color cardstock used on the card. Not having Ginny's experience, I decided not to risk gluing them down before using my Diamond Glaze (I didn't have any Glossy Accents), so I put the cut bits on a Ranger Non-Stick craft sheet and then put a drop of Diamond Glaze on each, spreading with a toothpick to break up bubbles and cover the dot. I let them dry over night, then glued to the card the next day. In the photo below, you can see the 'before' with two of the larger circles I didn't want to use.

I was very pleased with how they turned out. Thanks, Ginny, for such a thrifty idea!

I'm linking up with: Addicted to Stamps & More #246 – ATG, Crafty Creations #343 – ATG, Inspiration Destination #130 – ATG, The Sisterhood of Crafters 14/06 – Use Your Imagination/ATG, and The Crafty Addicts #37 – ATG.