Impressabilities Tips/Techniques with Cuttlebug PART 2

I posted some Impressabilities Tips/Techniques with the Cuttlebug a week ago HERE. This post will build on those techniques, so if you have not read them, you may want to check that post out first and then come back.

I was interested in what else I could do with Impressabilites and came up with the following ideas. (I thought the writing on the photos would be alot bigger...sorry.)

I was interested in how the Impressabilities would translate to vellum, so I tried some different ideas, and posted my results for you.

Sample 1
I spritzed the vellum with water and then embossed it with the Impressabilities. I spritzed it to see if the embossing would come out more defined like on CS. I found that it didn't make as much of a difference as it does on CS, and that the vellum dried more wrinkly (is that a word...lol?).

Sample 2
I used a smaller piece of vellum, and did NOT spritz it first.

Sample 3
This piece of vellum did not photograph well, but I wanted to see what chalking the embossing would look like. This piece was NOT spritzed with water.

Samples 4 & 5
For these samples I used the Letterpress Technique with Fiskars Silver Pigment Ink. The first photo shows how well it covers the vellum, while the second photo I tilted so that you could see the shine of the ink.

Sample 6
On this piece of vellum, I embossed the corner with just a piece of the Impressabilities which I inked up with Dye Ink (CTMH Spring Iris Ink)-the Letterpress Technique. The dye ink gives it a soft look.

Sample 7
This is the same vellum piece as Sample 6, but with a piece of blue CS behind it to show you how colour can change the look of things.

Sample 8
This piece of vellum is embossed with no ink.

Sample 9

This final piece of vellum I brayered with Dye Ink (CTMH Buttercup Ink) after embossing with the Impressabilities. I left the Impressabilites under it while I brayered it.

Sample 10

I realized that I showed an example of the debossed side (I like to think of it as the 'depression' made by the template) of the Impressabilities sanded, but not the embossed (or the raised) side. So this sample shows the embossed side sanded. This piece was spritzed with water first.

Sample 11
If you don't own any Pigment Inks (for the Letterpress Technique), you can get a fairly close similar look (is that proper grammar???) with Dye Ink and a Brayer. Spritz the CS before embossing with the Impressabilities, then before removing the Impressabilities, brayer over the embossed side (the opposite side of the CS from the Impressabilities). Not quite as crisp a look as the Letterpress Technique, but not too bad. (The ink used-CTMH Sweet Leaf)

Sample 12
I used the same technique as Sample 11, but inked the CS with a lighter colour, CTMH Buttercup Ink.

Sample 13
I wanted to see how the Letterpress Technique looked with a dark Dye Ink, like CTMH Moonstruck, on a colour CS like CTMH Spring Iris. I applied the ink to the Impressabilities directly using the ink pad. Pigment Ink is the best way to go, but the darker dye ink didn't turn out too bad. One thing I noticed was that the ink sort of 'beaded' up on the Impressabilities, which led me to try applying the ink with a brayer...see Sample 14.

Sample 14
I used the same technique as explained in Sample 13 using CTMH Buttercup Dye Ink, with CTMH White Daisy CS. Rather than applying the ink directly with the ink pad, I used my brayer to ink up the Impressabilities. I found that the ink had a smoother finish, and did not bead up like in Sample 13.

Sample 15 & 16

For these 2 samples I used Fiskars Silver Pigment Ink and the Letterpress Technique. For the first sample I used CTMH Outdoor Denim CS, and for the second sample I used CTMH Pansy Purple CS (I forgot to take a shot of how the silver shines).

Sample 17
For this sample of Letterpress Technique I used CTMH Black CS and CTMH White Daisy Ink.

Sample 18
I wanted to see what tone-on-tone would look like. Here I used Maya Road Dark Brown Pigment Ink, and CTMH Chocolate CS.

Sample 19 & 20

Last, but not least, I used chalk on an embossed piece of CS. The piece on the left I spritzed with water first, embossed it, then applied chalk to the embossing. The piece on the right I did NOT spritz with water, embossed it, then applied chalk to the embossing. Two really different looks.

Well, I hope I have inspired you and not put you to sleep with my super long post. I've done the work, now you can go play!!!

Enjoy,

Deneen

Gift Card Holder

Hi there, and welcome here! Today I want to share a cute Gift Card Holder & Envelope with you. I found the template for this here, but I found that it was bigger than I wanted, so I drew my own (you'll be able fit 2 on a 12" x 12" piece of paper)....which you will find at the end of this post.

I had a lot of fun with this template, and ended up with 3 samples to show you!

Card Size: 3.5" x 4" (closed)
6" x 9.25" (open)

There's not much to say about this card. I used thicker double-sided pattern paper since the card is also used as the envelope. The band holds the card closed, and I finished it off with a couple of Prima Flowers.

Recipe: Pattern Paper-g.c.d. studios Pink Medallions, CTMH CS-Cocoa, Colonial White, & Tulip, CTMH Ink-Cocoa, Blush, Vineyard Berry, Garden Green, & Olive, CTMH SS-Life Is So Good, Martha Stewart Punch-Eyelet Lace Corner & Pinking Scallop, Prima Flowers, Pearls.

Yes, those are Copics! I finally got myself some......thanks Dad T.....I'm still in practicing mode, but thought I coloured the gift well enough to share with you. I left off ribbon, which I had a hard time doing, because I thought this card had could also be used for a guy.

This close-up is to show the glitter icing, and stickle accents.

Recipe: Patterned Paper-Little Yellow Bicycle Zinnia, CTMH CS-Sweet Leaf Textured, Topiary, Amethyst & White Daisy, CTMH Ink-Topiary, Black, Pansy Purple & Amethyst, CTMH SS-Cupcake Sprinkles, Celebration Blocks, & True Friends, Copics BV0000, BV00, BV02, R27, R37, R59, C-1, & 0, Ice Stickles-Strawberry Ice, Crystal Glitter Ritz Cool Highlights, Sookwang Adhesive, 3D Foam Squares.

This card was fun! I created a masculine card a while ago using paper that had stamps on it, so when I found this thicker patterned paper, I knew that it would be perfect for this gift card holder. The other neat 'find' is the Kraft Wire String, which I found at Dollarama, and like it says, the wire is covered with kraft paper so it holds its shape....perfecto for my card!!

Recipe: Patterned Paper-Gartner Studios Postage Stamps, CTMH CS-Bamboo & Colonial White, CTMH Ink-Cocoa, Chocolate & Black, CTMH SS-Postmarked, Corner Rounder, Tonic Studios Ticket Punch, Kraft Wire String.

TEMPLATES:

I posted 2 templates because I wasn't sure if the first one would print to its correct size. So I also provided a template that has the measurements on it. The dotted line is the fold line, and the smaller flaps are for your adhesive--you will fold up the bottom piece to make a 'pouch' for the gift card.

You should be able to trace 2 templates on a piece of 12" x 12" patterned paper. I cut inside the lines when cutting out my templates....cutting 'on' the line, or 'outside' the line can add 1/16" when you don't want it. Hopefully my rambling makes sense...lol.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Enjoy,

Deneen

Impressabilities Tips/Techniques Card Samples

Earlier this week I posted Tips for using Spellbinders Impressabilities with your Cuttlebug. You can find that post HERE. Today I am posting the sample cards I made using those Tips.

For this card I used the Letterpress Technique. The flower I found on someone's blog (I'll post their blog once I find it again), they used a scalloped circle and then cut slits to make the petals. So first I used Nestabilities Scallop Circle template to cut out the circle, then sent it through using the Impressabilities. I sanded the CS, inked the edges, and then cut the slits. Because I'm showcasing Impressabilities, I didn't cover the center of the flower.

Here I used Impressabilities to make flowers again.

Here I used the Letterpress technique.

For this card I really liked the subtleness of the Impressabilities, so I didn't do anything to the embossing to make it stand out more.

Here is the piece I showed earlier this week where you cut out a piece first, and then send it through using Impressabilities.

And finally, here is the sample card where I used the piece I cut from the Impressabilities. See this post for the 'sandwich' recipe.

Supplies I used for the cards: Core'dinations CS, Basic Grey-Origins pattern paper, Impressabilities-Flourish, Little Paper Shop SS-In Loving Memory, pearls, brads, ribbon, and Nestabilities.

Enjoy,

Deneen

Impressabilities Tips/Techniques for the Cuttlebug

I was doing some research for a card class on Spellbinders Impressabilities, used with the Cuttlebug, and after the excellent results I got, I knew I had to share them with you! These are not my ideas, I have just compiled some of them in one spot here on my blog.

The first time I used Impressabilities I was really disappointed with the results. I thought the templates were beautiful, but I couldn't translate that to the paper. Then Sharon, from The Scrapbook Cottage, asked me to do a Technique Class for her using the Impressabilities. Well, I couldn't let her down, so I hopped onto the internet and started doing some research, and here are my results.

Here is the Impressabilities template, Flourish, I used for my samples. It's made from a very thin metal, and is very intricate.

The 'sandwich' I like to use with Impressabilities in the Cuttlebug is:

Plate A

Shims (my Cuttlebug needs 2 pieces of CS, yours may use more, or less)
Plate B
Impressabilities Template
Cardstock
Tan Embossing Mat

Plate B

One of the first things I discovered:

Spritz your CS with water BEFORE sending it through the Cuttlebug.

I found this tip with 'how to use your brass templates in the Cuttlebug', and thought that if it works for them, it should work for the Impressabilities. It doesn't take much water, you could even use a wet sponge and wipe the CS. Just wait about 20 seconds before embossing, so that the water has time to soak into the fibers. By the time I put the rest of my card together, the CS piece was already dry and ready to use. If you need it quickly, you can use your craft heater to dry it.

The photo below shows a piece of CS embossed using the Impressabilities...you don't even have to look too close to notice that the right side shows more detail. That's because the right side was spritzed with water first, and the left side I left untouched.

Another great TIP I learned:
Ink the Impressabilites with Pigment Ink (for this technique I did NOT spritz the CS with water first, since the ink gives the CS definition), and then send it through the Cuttlebug (ink side up, so that the ink is smooshed into the CS). This is called Letterpress technique.

I did put a piece of scrap paper (not CS) to keep my mat and plates from getting dirty. The photo below shows the result using this technique. I took the Impressabilities to the sink to wash and the ink comes right off.

Pigment Ink is important to use because Dye Ink does not give you as bold of an image.

The photo below shows a sample using CTMH Dye Ink, and it is not nearly as impressive as the sample using Pigment Ink.

This photo shows white CS and dark brown Pigment Ink.

TIP:
When inking up your Impressabilities, do it on a piece of CS and you will be able to use that piece for your artwork as well.

The photo below shows the result of inking the Impressabilities with Brown Pigment Ink on cream CS. I used the ink pad direct-to-paper. When I removed the Impressabilites to send it through the Cuttlebug, this was the design left behind on the CS.

TIP:

Use the Impressabilities like a stencil.

For this sample, I used CTMH Dye Ink and a stipple brush. (I did NOT send the Impressabilities through the cuttlebug, I just used it as a stencil.)

Here I used CTMH Dye Ink and a sponge.

TIP:
Use your templates together.

I used Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Four Template and Impressabilities together. In the photo below, the brown CS piece I cut out using the Labels Four template. I then spritzed it with water, returned it to the Labels 4 template, and then embossed the piece with the Impressabilities. Notice the clean, unembossed edge.

Here is the 'sandwich' to use:

Plate A

Shims (My Cuttlebug uses 2 pieces of CS, your machine my use more, or less)
Plate B

Impressabilities

Nestabilities Labels 4 (with damp CS piece in)

Tan Embossing Mat

Plate B

TIP:
Cut your Impressabilities apart (yup, you read right, CUT it apart) and use the pieces to emboss small areas.

This photo shows embossing a small section of your CS piece. I also used the tip from above. I spritzed just the corner area with water.

So those were some of the tips I gleaned from many sources. Unfortunately I didn't take note of where because, at the time, I had no intentions of posting my results. But once I SAW the great results, I realized I had to share them with you so that you wouldn't be disappointed with the Impressabilities, like I was, and let them collect dust.


Later this week, I will post the cards I made using these tips & techniques.


If you have any questions, I'll try to answer them for you.

Enjoy,
Deneen

Kids Valentine's

Happy Valentine's Day a day early. I had big plans to make Valentine's with my girls (Gr.'s 2 &3), buuuuttttt......ahem....I procrastinated and left them until today. Then, on top of that, the girls decided they weren't coming straight home after school.....even after I reminded them this morning our plans to stamp their Valentine's. So, with a sad heart, I did the stamping all by my lonesome....while the girls had a time-out in their room. But after a few tears, because they really did want to stamp it themselves, and then some hugs and kisses, we sat down together to write out the names.

And here are the final kids Valentine's. Thanks to a fellow CTMH sista Melony Fielder for the inspiration.

Card Size: Approx. 3.5" x 4.25"

Both wanted to give the girls in their class butterflies. One wanted to give the boys soccer balls, and one wanted dinosaurs. For the teachers we did a frog...because Mrs. Loewen loves frogs, and Mr. Thiessen probably wouldn't mind a frog on his.

I used Publisher to print out the boxes and sentiment. I fit 6 Valentine's on a piece of 8.5" x 11" CS.

Here's the back.

Enjoy, and don't eat too much chocolate!

Deneen

Valentine's/Romantic Hanger Thing-ies.!?!

Oops, I did it again....lol, saw these hanging ornamental balls on someone's blog, and didn't take note of where, grrr, slap my hand. Actually, I've seen them lots of places during Christmas, but I saw a Valentine's one, and wanted to make one to show you. But you know me, if I track the link down, I'll share it with you.

Here's one I made...don'tcha just love it. I love the pearl accents, it seem to finish the ornament nicely.

And yes, you can make one with scallops! I think I'll add pearls to this one too. BUT......there is a little, itty bitty trick to it. All the scallop circles have to....yup....HAVE TO be scored in the same place. After reading the instructions below, come back and finish reading here................................'k, all done? Now this next part will make sense---(Thinner paper will work nicely for this) What I did was take 1 scalloped circle, marked, and scored it. I then took 2 scalloped circles, placed them behind the scored scallop circle, and lined up the scallops, I then scored the whole 'bunch' (with my Fiskars Rotary Trimmer scoring blade) , following the scored lines of the top scallop. I did that until all 20 were scored. Then you just line up the scallops when gluing together. I found I had to fiddle with it a bit more, but these ornaments tend to be very forgiving.

Instructions:

To add the pearls, I used a Glue Dot to give it a little extra hold.

Enjoy,

Deneen