I’m such a tactile individual—I think that’s why the theme of hands really resonates with me. I talk with my hands, I have a tendency to hug people—even people I just met, which is not always a good thing if you don’t know what their personal space zone is—I love to reach out and touch fabrics, shiny and smooth surfaces… I do have my limits, as you well know: Inks/paints and anything gooey/messy. Raw meat. That last one is probably the hardest for me. The Mister, however, has no such aversion and will gladly fire up the grill when there’s meat around here. So, when I don’t feel like cooking dinner, you better believe I have some meat in the fridge to woo the Grill Master.

I digress…

After die-cutting the hand from kraft card stock, I painted the nails with a Copic Marker and then folded the fingers around some knotted twine, using tiny pieces of foam adhesive to anchor the finger tips and the twine into place before gluing to my card front. The other end of the rope is secured on the inside with a piece of washi tape, but if you wanted to conceal the end, you can always make a “front”, then glue that down to a base card, sandwiching the twine in between.

I just had a thought, tho…. hmmmmmm. I will have to make it real and come back and share it. Sound like a good idea? •grin•

BTW, why, whY, WHY is that good ideas come when you’re supposed to be working on something else??? Happens to me every single time… •sigh•

Anyhoo, I also have a quick tip:

If your cutting pads are all marked up and leaving etch marks on the back side of your die cuts, try placing a piece of typing paper in between the card stock and the cutting pad before running your die through your machine; it can reduce or eliminate those dang etch marks, so you don’t have to grab a fresh cutting pad.

Hope your Christmas was peaceful, joyous, and found you in the company of family and friends. I had all that + meat. •wink• Good times.