If you've been curious about IN LOVE ART — the affordable craft supply shop that carries dies, stamps, and stickers — this is a look at a handful of products I picked up, plus a quick little booklet project I made using some of them. Everything shown has links in the description, and there's a discount code down there too.
What we cover
I go through each product I received — filigree border dies, mini flower and leaf dies, a round envelope die, a script stamp, notebook stamps, transparent stickers, and a belt decor die — and share what I was drawn to and how I see myself using each one. Then at the end I put a few of them together into a small booklet project that would sit nicely in a happy mail packet or tuck into a journal pocket.
What you'll learn
Why dies are often a better long-term investment than ready-made embellishments, including:
- How one set of flower dies can replace packet after packet of pre-made flowers
- How the same die gives you different sizes, colors, and layering options every time you cut
How to use a script stamp on adhesive paper to make your own custom stickers, including:
- Stamping directly onto sticker paper, then cutting the images out
- Building a stash of reusable little labels (to-do, notes, don't forget) that are always ready to apply to pages, notebooks, or project spreads
How to use die-cut flowers as focal points, including:
- Reading a cluster arrangement to see where a focal point is missing
- Placing a single flower die cut to anchor and complete the grouping
- Layering larger leaf dies underneath flowers for depth
What the filigree border and grid corner die can do for journal pages and covers, including:
- Using it as a decorative page corner
- Pairing it with a faux-leather paper look for a more finished cover treatment
How to assemble the round envelope die as a small folded booklet, including:
- Combining three cut pieces and stitching or threading rope through the holes
- Decorating the front with flower die cuts, ribbon, and transparent stickers
What transparent clear stickers are and how they behave — because the pattern shows through the backing, they layer onto pages without blocking what's underneath, which makes them genuinely different from opaque stickers.
The belt decor die and how it comes apart — it cuts in separate pieces rather than one unit, which changes how you can use it (glued flat onto a page works; as a belly band, less so).
Tips & gotchas
The biggest thing I've shifted in how I buy supplies is moving away from pre-made embellishment packets toward dies and stamps. A packet of little flowers is gone once it's gone, but a flower die you can run through your machine as many times as you need. Same with stamps — you use them once and they're still right there for next time. It adds up to a lot more flexibility for roughly the same spend over time.
If you've been putting off getting a die-cut machine because of the price, it's worth checking Facebook Marketplace or local secondhand listings. I picked mine up for $50 — you don't need the newest model, just something that runs reliably.
When using stamps on adhesive paper, just make sure your ink is dry before you cut. It sounds obvious, but it's easy to rush that step and end up with smeared edges on your stickers.
The belt decor die is worth knowing about before you buy: the pieces come out separately and you reassemble them on your project. It works well glued flat onto a page, but it won't function as a one-piece belly band straight from the die. If that's what you're planning for it, go in with adjusted expectations.
A few flower cuts, a stamped sticker or two, a bit of ribbon — and something that looked unfinished suddenly looks complete. That's what I was going for with the little booklet at the end, and it's the kind of thing that translates easily into happy mail, pocket inserts, or just a decorative tag for a gift.
