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A Very Happy Easter to You - Hoppy Poppy

by Brenda Noelke on Jan 24 2025

Happy Friday, friends!! Brenda here with a sweet Easter card featuring the Freckle Friends: Hoppy Poppy Stamp Set from the latest release!! New stamps from the Freckle Friends Series are always at the top of my list and this Easter one with the bunnies is absolutely adorable!! I started by stamping the darling images from the Freckle Friends: Hoppy Poppy Stamp Set onto white cardstock with PFS Intense Black Ink. I colored them with Copic markers, added highlights with a white gel pen, then used the Coordinating Dies to cut them out. For the background, I used the third largest die in the Beyond Basics: A2 Rectangle and Cover Plate Die Set to die-cut a panel from the Bright & Shiny Day Fabulously Glossy A2 Card Fronts. It was adhered to a white A2 card base. The sentiment, also from the Freckle Friends: Hoppy Poppy Stamp Set, was white heat embossed onto black cardstock and cut out with the Coordinating Die. The bunny and sentiment were popped up with foam tape and the rest of the die-cuts were adhered with liquid glue. I used a black gel pen to add some shine to Poppy's, the birds' and the bunny's eyes and nose. Iridescent sequins from the Easter Bop and Blissful Beauties Sequin Plus Mixes finish off the card and add a bit of shine. Thank you so much for dropping by today!! Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you next Friday!! Brenda

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Hi Madame Kitty!

by Colleen Balija on Jan 10 2025

Hi friends! Boy, have I got a fun card for you today, and there's LOTS of steps to this mixed media piece, so let's not waste time and get started, shall we? We'll be using Madame Kitty stamp, Velvet Blackboard Paper Glaze, Let's Paint stencil, Swanky Sentiments: Salutations, Pearls in Neon Blue & Charcoal Grey, and A2: Stamps Cover Plate with Postmark dies! As I said, there are many steps to this card, but it is really quite easy! The first step was to find a colorful background to use because I planned to stamp the Kitty image over it in black. I grabbed one from my stash of pre-made backgrounds and then stamped the Madame Kitty right in the center, embossing it with black powder so she would stand out! Next, I die cut around her using the half circle die from the A2: Stamps Cover Plate with Postmark dies! I inked up the edges in black ink to grunge it up a bit and frame the kitty. Next, I stenciled two of the corners on the card panel with Let's Paint stencil and Charcoal Black Paper Glaze. When that dried, I applied gold paste over it and around a few spots on the edge of the card panel. Then, I decided to add dimension and depth by using 2 of the smaller postmark dies and die cutting right through the finished panel! Yikes, right? Well stay with mem because it turns out wonderfully! I inked up the edges of the dies in black ink, similar to the edge of the card panel, added foam tape to the back of each die, and then placed it back on the card panel. In looking at the photo above, you can see how the dies pop off the page, but they don't interrupt the kitty focal point! This is a great mixed media technique to use on your projects! I got the idea from my dear friend Natasha Vacca! Lastly, I added the sentiment "Hi" in the lower left corner and placed the entire panel over an A2 sized black card base. This card has so much fun going on, and what started the creative process was Madame Kitty! She deserved to have a place of honor on a mixed media piece! Thanks for stopping by today! To shop the items used in this post, click on the description to be taken to the PFS shop!

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Thanks - You're the Best Eclipse Card

by Brenda Noelke on Jan 07 2025

Hello, crafty friends!! I hope your week is off to a great start!! Brenda here with an eclipse floral thank you card featuring the Southern Magnolias Stamp Set from the latest December 2024 release!! This stamp set (Illustrated by Kelly Taylor) is sooooo much fun to color!! I began by stamping the Southern Magnolias Stamp onto Bristol smooth cardstock and embossed it with white embossing powder. I colored it with Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers, then used the second largest die in the Beyond Basics: A2 Rectangle & Cover Plate Die Set. The Stacked Thanks Word Die was cut from the center of the panel. Be sure to save all the pieces from the center of the word die-cut. A panel of pink cardstock was cut with the largest die in the Beyond Basics: A2 Rectangle & Cover Plate Die and the negative of the floral background was adhered to it. I die-cut the Stacked Thanks Word Die four times from heavyweight white cardstock and once from the same pink cardstock. The layers were adhered together with liquid glue with the pink layer slightly offset, then adhered into the background. The "inner" pieces were adhered back in place. The "you're the best" sentiment, from the Blooming Trumpet Flower Stamp Set, was stamped onto white cardstock with pink dye ink and cut out with the Coordinating Die. I die-cut it two more times from heavyweight white cardstock and adhered it behind the stamped one before adding it to the center of the card with liquid glue. I haven't made an eclipse card in a long time!! I forgot how cool they were!! The dimension is amazing and so much easier to see in person!! That does it for me!! I appreciate you taking the time to stop by today!! Brenda

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Life Is Better With A Cat

by Brenda Noelke on Dec 26 2024

Hello, crafty friends!! I hope those of you who celebrate had a wonderful Christmas!! Brenda here with a card featuring the Madame Kitty Stamp from the December release!! I started by stamping the cat in the Madame Kitty Stamp and the sentiment from the Dogs/Cats Always Know Good People Stamp Set onto white cardstock with PFS Black Hybrid Ink. I colored it and added shading with Copic markers. The panel was die-cut with the third largest die in the Beyond Basics: A2 Vintage Rectangle and Cover Plate Die Set. I also die-cut a panel of black cardstock with the second largest die in the same set. The coral panel was die-cut with the largest rectangle die in the Beyond Basics: A2 Stamp Cover Plate with Postmark Die Set. All the panels were stacked and adhered together using liquid glue. The "cat" heart is also from the Dogs/Cats Always Know Good People Stamp Set. It was stamped onto white cardstock with coral ink, fussy cut, then popped up with foam tape. I added some highlights to the cat's eyes with a white gel pen and this card was finished. I'm more of a dog person myself, but I have lots of friends who have cats and I adore this Madame Kitty Stamp!! Thank you so much for stopping by!! Have a wonderful day!! Brenda

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Hello Beautiful Magnolia!

by Colleen Balija on Dec 19 2024

Hi friends! I hope your week is going well! Today I'm sharing a fun watercolor technique that's got a mixed media vibe! We'll be using Southern Magnolia stamp, Beyond Basics: A2 Stamps Cover Plate with Postmark Dies, Opaque Copper Liquid Splatters, and Salutations sentiment stamp! The Magnolia stamp is one background stamp with lovely, detailed flowers! I heat embossed the image with gold embossing powder onto a colored card panel that I had created awhile back when I was in the mood to make some backgrounds! The gold embossing powder helped the image to stand out from the colorful background. Next, I added more color to the flowers using watercolors in similar shades to the background. Then I sprayed randomly over the panel with Opaque Copper Liquid Watercolor that I placed in a mini sprayer. TIP: You can use your liquid splatters as a spray by dropping a few droplets into a sprayer with water! Works like a charm and you have another use for the splatters! Next, I used 2 pieces from the A2 Stamps Cover Plate with Postmark Dies and die cut through the center of the finished panel and around the edge. I adhered the larger piece over an A2 sized white card base. Then I adhered the center piece that was die cut with one of the postmark dies over a piece of white cardstock, slightly larger, and then adhered that over the base with foam tape. I finished with the sentiment "Hello" from Salutations. I love how this turned out! It's a bit monochromatic with pops of color that help the flowers stand out! The dies add texture, dimension, and interest! The pop of white helps the color stand out even more! Thanks for joining me today! To shop the products used in this post, click on the description box to be taken to the PFS shop!

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Let Your Dreams Take Flight

by Brenda Noelke on Dec 04 2024

Happy Wednesday, friends!! Brenda here with an encouragement card featuring the You're On the Way Up! Stamp Set and Coordinating Dies!! This stamp set is full of "uplifting" sentiments and with three hot air balloons to mix and match!! (Save 10% by purchasing the bundle.) I started by stamping the two largest hot air balloons and the clouds in the You're On the Way Up Stamp Set onto white cardstock with PFS Black Hybrid Ink. I colored them with Copic markers, added highlights with a white gel pen, then used the Coordinating Dies to cut them out. I added dots to the centers of the flowers with a yellow gel pen. For the background, I die-cut the A2 Cloud Peek A Boo Cover Plate Die from white cardstock and blended Tumbled Glass Distress Ink onto the edges with a blender brush. I added vellum over a panel of pattern paper from the Cotton Candy Cloud Fabulously Glossy A2 Card Fronts Pack and adhered it to the back of the cloud die-cut with liquid glue. The clouds were adhered with liquid glue and the balloons were popped up with foam tape. The sentiment, also from the You're On Your Way Up! Stamp Set, was white heat embossed onto black cardstock, cut out with the Coordinating Die and popped up with foam tape. Sequins from the Carnival Day and On A Midnight Dream sequin mixes finish off the card. I love how this turned out and hope you do, as well!! Check out this amazing deal when you purchase a $100 GC!! SHOP HERE Thank you so much for stopping by today!! Have a great Wednesday!! Brenda

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Nothing But Blue Skies Await!

by Colleen Balija on Dec 02 2024

Hi friends! I have a colorful, shiny, and simple card to share with you today using Hot Air Balloons Sighting stamp, Freckle Friends: Climbing Calliope, On a Cloudy Day stencil, Paper Glaze in Twinkle Lights Silver, blue die inks, and A2 Lots of Thanks die plate set! First, I die cut a white card panel using the A2 Lots of Thanks die set. I love this set because it includes layering dies in awesome shades and a WONDERFUL Thank You sentiment die that dies 3 unique Thank you sentiments!!! I applied the Paper Glaze Twinkle Lights Silver onto the outer white frame and set it aside to dry. Using the inner part of the die, I applied 3 shades of teal ink over it to create an ombre effect. I applied the darkest ink over everything using the On a Cloudy Day stencil. Then I stamped the image from Hot Air Balloons Sighting over the inked-up panel a few times using permanent black ink. I adhered the stencil back over the card panel and applied Twinkle Lights Silver paper glaze in just a few places to added texture and shine. Can you see it in the photo above? Once everything was fully dried from the paper glaze (about 15 minutes is all it takes to dry), I adhered the finished card panel and the outer frame onto an A2 sized black card base. Then I stamped a sentiment from Freckled Friends: Climbing Calliope, adhered it over a piece of black cardstock, and added that to the card panel along with 3 birds from that same stamp set! I really enjoy playing with color, texture, and shine. And this card's got it all! Thanks for joining me today! To shop the products used in this post, click on the description to be taken to the PFS shop!

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Have a Nice Day!

by Colleen Balija on Nov 08 2024

Hi friends! Today's card boasts black and white with just a touch of color! I love black and white cards, so this card will be a classic beauty! I'll be using Beauty Found in a Vase stamp, Polka Dot Flora background stamp, and Pinking Shear A2 cover Plate die! As I was trying to decide what color to stamp the Polka Dot Flora background stamp in, I decided to do it in black. And I wasn't disappointed, as this stamp is so amazing! After I stamped the flora image, I trimmed it and placed it over a black piece of cardstock that was die cut using the Pinking Sheer A2 Cover Plate. I thought the design of that die added interest! Then both layers were placed onto a white 5.5x4.25 card base! Now, onto the focal point, the flowers! I decided to keep the color of the flowers very basic, so I went with shades of red and kept the vase in shades of grey to compliment the black background. The flowers were heat embossed in gold and then colored with alcohol inks. Then I die cut the image, added foam tape, and adhered it over the black and white background! I also stamped and die cut one of the coordinating sentiments and placed it next to the flowers! This was LITERALLY all I did for this card! Sometimes simpler is better, and you can never go wrong with a black and white card! This was a short blog post because this was a simple card! To shop the items used in this post, click on the description to be taken to the PFS shop!

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Hello There - Memo Pad

by Brenda Noelke on Nov 01 2024

Happy Friday, fellow crafters!! Brenda back with you today!! I've always loved new notebooks...oh, the possibilities!! The beginning of the school year was so exciting to me because we always got new school supplies!! So, I was super excited to see the composition notebook products in the October release!! I began by adhering a narrow strip of black cardstock along the left side of a panel of blue paper from the Memo Pad: Brights Fabulously Glossy A2 Card Front Pack. I used a corner rounder to round both of the corners on the right side. I rounded the right corners of an A2 card base and adhered the panel to it using liquid glue. Next, I die-cut the A2 Ripped Notebook Cover Plate Die from white cardstock. I stamped the numbers from the A2 Notebook Grid Stamp along the left edge of the die-cut with PFS Black Hybrid Ink. It was adhered to the front of the card. The sentiment is from the Hello There Word Die Set. It was cut from teal and black cardstock, stacked and adhered together with liquid glue, then added to the front of the card. A few Thunderstorm Gems add a bit of sparkle to finish off the card. I love how this turned out!! Did you always look forward to new school supplies?!? A brand new notebook still makes my heart happy!! Thanks so much for stopping by today!! Have a wonderful weekend!! Brenda

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Thinking of You Friend

by Brenda Noelke on Oct 15 2024

Hello, fellow crafters and happy Tuesday!! Brenda here with a floral friendship card featuring lots of goodies from yesterday's brand new release!! I started off by stamping the beautiful bouquet from the Beauty Found In A Vase Stamp Set onto white cardstock with PFS Black Hybrid Ink. I colored it with Copic markers, added dots to the centers of some of the flowers with a yellow gel pen, then used the Coordinating Die to cut it out (bundle here). For the background, I white heat embossed the Polka Dot Flora background stamp onto yellow cardstock. It was die-cut with the second largest rectangle die in the Beyond Basics: A2 Rectangles and Cover Plate Die Set. It was adhered to a panel of bright pink cardstock that was cut out with the largest rectangle die in the same set. The floral vase was adhered with liquid glue. The top layer of the Friend Stacked Word Die was die-cut with bright pink cardstock once and three times from heavyweight white cardstock. The shadow layer was cut from vellum. All the layers were stacked and adhered together with liquid glue. "Thinking of you", from the Vintage Heart Stamp Set, was white heat embossed on vellum and cut out with the Coordinating Die (bundle here). It was adhered across the "friend" die-cut, hiding the liquid glue behind the embossed letters. A sprinkling of sequins from the All About the Pinks Sequin Mix finishes off the card. I absolutely love all of these new goodies from the latest release!! I can't wait to share more of the new release with you!! Thanks so much for stopping by!! Have a wonderful week!! Brenda

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Merry Christmas - A Wagon Full of Christmas Wishes

by Brenda Noelke on Sep 24 2024

Happy Tuesday, PFS friends!! I hope your week is off to a great start!! Brenda here with a Christmas card combining products from the newest September release with the wagon from the Autumn Bountiful Beauty Stamp Set from last month!! I began by stamping the wagon from Autumn Bountiful Beauty and the flowers from the Winter Blooms stamp sets onto white cardstock with PFS Black Hybrid Ink. I colored them with Copic markers, then used the Autumn Bountiful Beauty and Winter Blooms coordinating dies to cut them out. I added dots to the centers of the flowers with a gold gel pen. For the background, I die-cut the Simple Plaid Cover Plate Die from white cardstock and adhered it to a white card base. The wagon and floral die-cuts were adhered with liquid glue. Next, I die-cut the "merry" from the Merry Christmas Word Die Set one time from gold glitter cardstock and twice from heavyweight white cardstock. "Christmas" was cut once from red cardstock and two times from heavyweight white cardstock using the same die set. All the die-cut layers were adhered together, then adhered to the background using liquid glue. I added gems from the North Pole Gem Mix to the center of each wheel, as well as a trio to the upper right area of the background to complete the card. That does it for me today!! Thank you so much for stopping by!! Brenda

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Deckled Edge Masking Technique

by Colleen Balija on Jul 08 2024

Join Colleen on the Picket Fence Studios Blog today with a Deckled Edge Masking Technique!

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Happy Birthday and Many More!

by Brenda Noelke on Jul 02 2024

Hello, crafty friends and happy Tuesday!! I hope your week has started off well!! Brenda here with a colorful birthday card featuring goodies from the latest June Release!! I'm always in need of birthday cards and this one's great because it will work for any age, male or female!! I began by stamping the Birthday Dance Confetti Stamp onto white cardstock with dye inks in shades of blue and green. It was die-cut with the smallest die in the A2 Layering Rectangle Die Set. The "happy" die from the Happy Birthday Word Die Set was die-cut from the center of the panel. It was adhered to a panel of Birthday Bash Fabulous Foiling Toner Card Stock that was cut out with the largest die in the A2 Layering Rectangles Die Set. The "birthday" script was also from the Happy Birthday Word Die Set. It was die-cut once from black glitter cardstock and three times from heavyweight white cardstock, then stacked and adhered together and adhered across the center of the card. The rest of the sentiment, from the Swanky Sentiments: Birthday Stamp Set, was white heat embossed onto black cardstock, cut out with the Coordinating Die and popped up with foam tape. A sprinkling of Razzle Dazzle Sequins finishes off the card. That'll do it for me today!! Thanks so much for hanging out with me!! Brenda

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Easy Masking Technique!

by Colleen Balija on Jun 26 2024

HI friends! I'm back today with another masking technique that's basic yet very effective for your stamps! I'll be using From Our Entire Herd stamp, Paper Pouncers, and Grass Tufts die! I tend to use this masking technique quite a bit when I'm not felling inspired or am not sure how to use my stamps, and it works like a charm! I started with a piece of 5.5x4.25 white cardstock. Then I created a rectangle mask by placing painters' tape onto the card panel to frame the rectangle. The painter's tape will protect the areas where you don't want ink. You could also use a piece of 5.5x4.25 masking paper and die cut through the middle of it with a rectangle die! When my panel was masked, I inked blended through the middle with yellow ink. Then I used my Mini Paper Pouncer to create bokeh dots by inking the pouncer with shades of orange ink and stamping the pouncer over the yellow ink! You can see in the photo below the details in that background! Another way to use your pouncers! Then I removed the masking and stamped the giraffes from the From Our Entire Herd stamp in black ink, stamping it several times to get a crisp black image. I stamped the sentiment beneath it. Then I added some of the tufted grass in front of the giraffes, trimmed the card panel with my deckled paper trimmer along with a piece of black cardstock slightly larger, and adhered the 2 layers over a 5.5x4.25 white card base! I love this technique for silhouette stamps such as the giraffe one! Another option would be to create an ombre effect with your inks! Thanks for stopping by today!

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Ice Cream Makes Everything Better

by Brenda Noelke on Jun 24 2024

Wreath building just got sweeter! 🍦✨ Brenda's using our "Ice Cream You Scream" stamp set to create this fun card.

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Creating Fun Backgrounds for Your Stamps!

by Colleen Balija on Jun 19 2024

Learn how to create fun backgrounds and masking techniques with Colleen on the Picket Fence Studios Blog!

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Know You Are Surrounded By Love

by Brenda Noelke on May 15 2024

Happy Wednesday, fellow crafters!! This week sure is flying by!! Brenda here with an encouragement card featuring goodies from yesterday's release!! I started by white heat embossing the flowers from the Sweet Summer Bellflowers Stamp Set onto Bristol smooth cardstock. I watercolored them with Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers, then cut them out with their Coordinating Dies. For the background, I stamped the She Endured Background Stamp onto a panel of Bristol cardstock by coloring on the stamp with the same markers that I used on the flowers, spritzing it with water, then stamping it onto the panel. It was die-cut with the largest arched die in the Basic Die-cutting Die Set 1. I used the two largest arched dies in the same set to cut a frame from plum cardstock, then I cut the second largest arched die from vellum. The largest die in the A2 Rectangle Layering Die Set was cut from blue cardstock and the She Endured Background Stamp was stamped onto it with blue ink. All of the layers were adhered together with liquid glue and the flowers were adhered across the front of the panel. The sentiment, from the Swanky Sentiments: Sympathy Stamp Set, was white heat embossed onto plum cardstock. It was cut out with its Coordinating Die and popped up with foam tape. That does it for me today!! Thanks so much for stopping by!! I hope the rest of your week goes well!! Brenda

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The Right Pair of Boots

by Brenda Noelke on Apr 03 2024

Hello, fellow crafters and happy Wednesday!! Brenda here with a card featuring The Right Pair of Boots Stamp Set from the Botanical Blooms Release!! If you know me at all, you know that I am obsessed with shoes...especially boots, so this set is right up my alley!! Combine a boot with flowers and I couldn't love it more!! I stamped image from The Right Pair of Boots Stamp Set onto white cardstock with PFS Black Hybrid Ink and colored with with Copic markers. I used the smallest die in the A2 Rectangles Layering Die Set to cut it out and adhered it to a panel of black cardstock that was cut with the next largest die in the same set. Next, I die-cut the Pinking Shear A2 Cover Plate Die (bonus...this comes with a complete alphabet set) from a panel of paper in the Cotton Candy Clouds Fabulous Glossy A2 Card Fronts Pack (this complimented my flowers perfectly) and adhered it to a white card base. The two rectangle layers were adhered to the background. The sentiment is also from The Right Pair of Boots Stamp Set. It was white heat embossed onto black cardstock, fussy cut and popped up with foam tape. To finish, I added dots to the centers of some of the flowers with a yellow gel pen. I LOVE how this turned out!! In fact, I have a pair of boots just like this...minus the flowers, of course!! Thanks so much for stopping by!! I appreciate your time!! Brenda

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Love You - Big Beautiful Butterfly

by Brenda Noelke on Mar 04 2024

Hello, friends and happy Monday!! I hope you had a great weekend!! Brenda here with a bold and colorful card featuring products from the latest February release!! I fell head-over-heels for this butterfly in the Two Big Beautiful Butterfly Die Set and can't stop using it!! I started by die-cutting the top layer of the butterfly in the Two Big Beautiful Butterfly Die Set from black cardstock and the bottom layer from white cardstock. The Layering Flora: Sweet Cherry Blossoms Dies were also die-cut from white cardstock. I used Rainbow Pint-sized Paper Pouncers and Distress Oxide Inks to add color to the die-cuts. I used Mustard Seed, Picked Raspberry, Wilted Violet, Peacock Feathers and Peeled Paint. For the background, I die-cut the Garden Lattice A2 Cover Plate Die from white cardstock and adhered it to a white A2 card base. I splattered it with Black Magic Paper Splatter and set it aside to dry. The "love" portion of the sentiment was die-cut three times from black cardstock using the Sara Girl Die Set. They were stacked and adhered together with liquid glue. "You", from the Wreath Building: Greetings From Our Hive Stamp Set, was stamped onto white cardstock with PFS Black Hybrid Ink and fussy cut. All of the die-cuts were arranged and adhered with a combination of liquid glue and foam tape. I adhered a gem from the Day and Night Gem Mix to the center of the flowers and sequins from the All about the Pinks, All About the Yellows and All About the Purples sequin mixes to add a bit of shine. . Thank you so much for stopping by today!! Have a great week!! Brenda

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For You, My Sweet

by Brenda Noelke on Jan 24 2024

Join Brenda for a papercraafting tutorial using some new baking themed stamps, dies, and stencils!