A Way With Words Shimmer Sheetz

Divide & Conquer

December 15, 2018

 by Judi Kauffman

I’m having so much fun figuring out what to do with my new Elizabeth Craft Designs planner. I thought that dividers would be a good place to start and Suzanne Cannon’s A Way With Words collection dies were ideal for spelling out what each section of the planner will be about. Like a true Virgo, I want my planner to be organized and practical – and dare I say it, tidy – so I made my dividers from durable Shimmer Sheetz and added equally durable hole reinforcements die cut from synthetic suede. And yet I want to allow for flexibility so the words I chose for each divider are ones with multiple possible interpretations. This gives me leeway to change what I put in each section. Read on for the instructions and my design strategies…

DESIGN STRATEGIES

Choose a color palette that suits your planner and your personality. 

My planner is Espresso and I went with dark, rich colors that won’t show wear and tear.

Start with the planner. It will help you figure out what direction to take. In addition to Espresso, there are two other options, both much lighter and brighter. (Might need one of those for summertime…)

Because the planner is seen close-up, I went with die cut words in black against the muted alcohol inks (not a lot of contrast). No one else is going to be looking through our planners, we need only please ourselves! 

Choose whatever words suit YOUR planner. 

My first divider is for upbeat sketches and journaling, hence the words ‘be Brave, Bold & Yourself’ (the ampersand is in a different die set from the other words); the second one is for calendar pages and it says ‘happy Special Days, Make a Wish’; the third one is for photos and memorabilia so it says ‘Special Moments & Friends & Memories’.

Make more dividers as needed, rearrange them as often as you want! 

There are so many words and phrases to choose from and the planner holds a lot more than you might imagine.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. For each divider, cut a piece of Shimmer Sheetz to 4-3/4” x 8-1/8” using a paper trimmer or craft knife and straight edge. Die cut the six holes at the side using the holes-only die from the Planner Essentials 5 die set. Also die cut a tab using a tab die from the Planner Essentials 4 die set. (Shown: Dividers are Amethyst Gemstone SS, tabs are Turquoise Gemstone SS.) Reminder: A metal adaptor plate or Precision Base Plate (for Big Shot machine) is REQUIRED for die cutting Shimmer Sheetz. Review Els van de Burgt’s video tutorial if you are new to this technique. The die is placed FACE DOWN in the machine with the Shimmer Sheetz FACE UP between the die and the metal adaptor plate, inside the machine’s usual cutting sandwich.

2. For each divider, also die cut six of the hole reinforcements from synthetic suede backed with Clear Double Sided Adhesive Tape prior to cutting (a single die cuts all six at once; the die is in the Planner Essentials 5 set). Be sure not to lose the little circles that are in the center of each reinforcement. Also die cut one divider tab to match each Shimmer Sheetz tab from Step 1, only the tabs should have the Clear Double Sided Adhesive tape on the FRONT. 

3. Set aside all synthetic suede pieces for now. (Tip: The lid of a small box works well as a tray; the small pieces won’t disappear on a messy work table!)

4. Using an ink applicator tool, randomly alter Shimmer Sheetz dividers and tabs with alcohol inks in colors of choice. (Shown: Shades of teal, cranberry, brown and metallic gold.)

5. Adhere the Shimmer Sheetz tabs to the dividers as shown (toward the top right) or as you prefer. Use narrow Clear Double Sided Adhesive tape to hold the long edge where it overlaps the divider. Turn the divider face down on the work table and back each tab with the matching synthetic suede tab from Step 2, carefully aligning the pieces. 

6. Add the synthetic suede hole reinforcements to the front of each divider. Also add two small synthetic suede circles to the tab and three circles to the bottom right edge of the divider.


7. Die cut words from black Velvet Adhesive Sheets. Arrange on the dividers as shown or to suit your taste. To ensure the best results, pre-plan the arrangement using paper die cuts to ensure that the layout is pleasing. The word ‘Day’ on the second tab has an ‘s’ added so it’s plural.

8. Also die cut decorative motifs if desired. Adhere to divider(s). (Shown: Star from Planner Essentials 5 cut from synthetic suede backed with Clear Double Sided Adhesive Sheet, small pieces NOT removed so there are no open areas within the star.)

Supplies:

Elizabeth Craft Designs:


Other:

Ink Applicator Tool

Ranger/Tim Holtz Alcohol Inks

Ranger/Tim Holtz Gold Metallic Mixative

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  • Jean Marmo December 15, 2018 at 5:17 pm

    Simply gorgeous! Love the colors!

  • Judi kauffman December 15, 2018 at 1:07 pm

    Thanks, Suzanne. I had so much fun making them. I get a kick out of figuring out how to arrange and combine the die cuts, or modifying them by adding or subtracting a letter.

  • Quietfire December 15, 2018 at 12:04 pm

    Gorgeous Judi! Those dividers will really stand out!

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