Quick and Easy! Letterpress technique using an embossing folder and ink!

Letterpress technique using an embossing folder and ink sounds interesting, right?

Well, today I am showing you a letterpress technique using an embossing folder and ink to create a faux letterpress look! The technique is really easy but it gives an appearance that truly looks as if you spent hours doing it. Best of all, I not only have a video here for you but I also have a pictorial for you to enjoy if that is the way you prefer to learn. Let’s get started!

Here are the supplies you will need:

Punch of your choice

Paper for sentiment

String or Ribbon

3-D Foam Squares and Adhesive

Card for base of creation

Paper for embossing (best if cut to fit the correct size you want for your creation to avoid having to cut it later)

Manual Die Cut Machine & Platforms/Accessories

Embossing folder

Ink for embossing folder (I used Tim Holtz’s distressed ink to get that look. It gives a distress look by design so it is not a clear, crisp stamped image.)

Block for stamp sentiment

Stamp sentiments – We used the Sentiments For All Occasions Stamp Set

Ink for sentiment (Yes, I do use two different inks for the effect I am looking for.)

Scissors if you need to trim your ribbon or string after tying it on your punched out sentiment

Supplies

To begin the letterpress technique, I used Tim Holtz distress ink. It really gives the worn distress feel by design and I thought it would be perfect for this sympathy card.Ink embossing folder

Place paper on inked surface

Close folder place it in between platforms

Run folder through Machine

This embossed inked look really replicates what a letterpress would do however this letterpress technique not only saves time but quite a bit of money buying the equipment needed to re-create this look.

Take out embossed paper

Glue embossed paper onto card

Place sentiment on block

Ink and stamp sentiment

punch out your sentiment

wrap string around tag

adhere foam squares

adhere sentiment to card

And HERE is the finished product!

Sympathy Card

There are numerous other things you can do with embossing folders. I hope to show you a whole bunch of other ideas and creations with embossing folders and MORE! If you have any questions or suggestions for future videos, please feel free to leave a comment. We would love to have your input! Thank you so much for joining us and we hope you had A Creative Journey with Melissa.

SO EASY! You bought clear stamps – NOW WHAT?

Welcome to Monday’s with Melissa! Rubber stamps have been around for a very long time. I love rubber stamps for their clean crisp stamped images and their durability. There have been numerous improvements made to photo polymer stamps. Now, clear stamps are EQUALLY as good for the stamped image quality and durability but yet even better for their utilization abilities. Clear stamps allow you to place your image ANYWHERE you want them to be AND you will actually SEE where you are placing them. Rubber stamps are great except when you want to watch where your image will  be going. Guesstimating is not the best when you are doing a project that you would like to turn out the way you have planned. Clear stamps solve that problem. You can place your image wherever you would like and you will be able to see exactly where you are placing it. Clear stamps are not only stored much easier and with much less space, they really are awesome for placement. Sometimes, you will find you may have made a mistake by pushing too far on one side versus the other causing one side of the stamped image not to have been stamped properly. I have definitely had this happen to me. The awesome thing about having clear stamps is you could re-ink your image, line your image up again and re-stamp over it.. Like magic, your problem is solved! A Creative Journey with Melissa stamps are amazing. Often people feel they have to “prepare” or “condition” their clear stamps. With A Creative Journey with Melissa stamps, it’s not necessary. I open my package, ink my stamp completely and STAMP AWAY! If you find that ink has stained your stamp, don’t worry. The staining will NOT effect the quality or the appearance of your image.

Here is a quick and easy video showing you how to use your clear stamps and clean them. EASY PEASY! You will be so glad you watched it! Thanks for joining us for Mondays with Melissa!

Use Your Paper Scraps, Favorite Embossing Folder & Make Quick and Easy Cards

Here is a great tutorial on how to use up your scraps as well as give a little texture to your creation! Use Your Paper Scraps, Favorite Embossing Folder & Make Quick and Easy Cards is a quick video to give those visual learners (I am one too) a short and sweet tutorial that can help you use up your stash. I learned this technique from one of my best friends Sharon. She is amazingly creative and always inspires me! She taught this in a class a number of years ago but I have always loved the result and wanted to share it with you. The video has more detail or you are welcome to check out the instructions below. You are also getting a sneak peek at ONE of the FOUR stamp sets that we will be releasing on Wednesday-Spring and Summer Holiday Celebrations Stamp Set.

Supplies

Coordinating color/designed craps

Your favorite punches

Card Bases

Trimmer

Adhesive

Foam squares

Manual die cut machine and appropriate platforms

Embossing folder

Spring and Summer Holiday Celebrations Stamp Set (Coming out this WEDNESDAY!)

Ink

Directions:

Pick out the card base you would like to use for this creation.

Decide what color mat you would like for your design on your card base.

Cut out a size that will look good on the card base you have chosen. I used an A2 card base and cut my paper mat at 3.5 x 4″ Some were varied a little due to the size of the scrap.

Punch out your favorite shapes.

Arrange and adhere your punched shapes on your selected color base piece of paper.

Place your colored mat piece of paper with the adhered shapes inside your embossing folder. DO NOT EMBOSS THE CARD BASE.

Emboss it with your manual die cut machine.

Take out your creation and adhere it to the card base.

Stamp your sentiment on a piece of scrap paper that will coordinate nicely with your creation.

Cut or punch out your sentiment using a complimentary cut or shape to the creation. I used a dog tag punch and cut out a rectangle with my trimmer for mine.

Use your 3-D foam squares to adhere the sentiment to your card.

Your creation is complete! Now you have created some Quick and Easy Cards using your scraps!

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial featured on Mondays with Melissa. Please be sure to check back for our new releases on Wednesday and for more projects!

Embossing Upcycled Packaging Materials – Mondays with Melissa

Have you ever upcycled something or repurposed it? Do you know what upcycling or repurposing is? If you don’t, you are going to LOVE me.. and maybe hate me a little too. Upcycling or repurposing is when you take an item and find another purpose for it and in many cases making it better! Whether it is an old book, table, chair, outfit.. The possibilities are endless!

As a crafter, I LOVE to buy new creative items because the industry is forever changing however I also want to be kind to our planet. This is where upcycling comes in. Embossing Upcycled Packaging Materials is really fun and makes you think outside of the box. Its a great way to get your creative juices flowing! I love to try to upcycle and repurpose as much as I can-almost to a fault-so that I can try to find another way to use an item. Especially on creative projects. You would be amazed at what you can come up with!

Here I created a card using the upcycled packaging material from an embossing folder set I purchased as seen in the video. I punched a circle out of paper and stamped the celebrate sentiment from our Sentiments for All Occasions stamp set. It’s a great set that covers just about anything you would need for a sentiment. I thought it would be cool to use the sentiment as a background. I really love how the project has the added texture with the upcycled element.  I think the embossed upcycled element also helps to highlight the colors surrounding it. In this creation, I punched out a flower from the upcycled material with a flower punch. It worked GREAT!

 On this creation, I decided to do something a little different. I made an embellishment by punching out a circle out of decorative card stock and put it BEHIND the embossed upcycled tag so you can really see the dimension and texture of the embossed tag. I used a punch after I embossed the upcycled material to obtain the tag shape. The sentiment with sympathy is from our Sentiments for All Occasions stamp set. The upcycled material is easy to use and work with. A word of caution; be careful with the edges when you are cutting them because they can be sharp.

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. If you enjoyed what you saw be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more tutorials, creations, surprises and of course for Mondays with Melissa!