Inspired Stamps: Embossing Techniques using the Cuttlebug...with photos!

Hello and welcome here!  This month is a busy month over at Inspired Stamps, the DT are sharing some Tutorials and there is a New Release to enjoy.  I'm sharing a Tutorial today, there is a New Release tomorrow, and Chere is sharing a Tutorial on Thursday!  So grab a cup of coffee and enjoy today's Tutorial.

I decided to share some photos of:

How to emboss a design using a Spellbinders die, 

How to partially emboss frames using an embossing folder,

How to emboss a Spellbinders shape using an embossing folder.

These are not by any means new techniques but I've had a few emails lately asking how I emboss, so I thought I would do a short Tutorial for all of you to enjoy.  I like sharing photo tutorials instead of doing a video tutorial because you can save an image or 2 along the way to help you remember certain steps, so feel free to 'Save' along the way.  There may be other ways out there on the same embossing techniques, the following methods are what work for me. These Techniques will work in other machines, I just happen to have a Cuttlebug...I unfortunately don't know the 'sandwiches' or Plates you would need for other matchines. Great, so let's get started!!

How To Emboss A Design Using Spellbinders Dies

Card Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

This is an example of using your Spellbinders die to emboss your card rather than using it to cut out the shape.  I have made a couple of different card versions of the embossed snowflake over the years, they make for quick, yet beautiful Christmas cards.  I have used Inspired Stamps Blessed Little Christmas sentiment to finish off the front.

First you are going to want to line up your die where you want to emboss your snowflake.  I embossed it in the lower left-hand corner.  (I used a small piece of Post-It Note to hold my 2 dies together.

Carefully turn over your paper and die to emboss in the Cuttlebug.

To emboss the snowflake you use the same 'sandwich' you would use when embossing after you die-cut your shape.  NOTE:  You don't want to over-shim your Cuttlebug, if it is too tight you will end up cutting through your cardstock instead of embossing.  (A shim is 1 or 2 pieces of cardstock to keep your Cuttlebug cutting or embossing correctly.  If you find that delicate dies are not cutting properly or all the way through, try adding a shim between the A Plate and C/B Plate.)

Here's a photo of the 'sandwich' to use:

(This is NOT how you will emboss your cardstock but just a photo illustration of the 'sandwich')

Stacking from the bottom up: (see photo)

A Plate

Shim (if needed)

B Plate

Spellbinders die

Cardstock you want embossed

Embossing Mat

B Plate

This is what you should have once you've embossed:

Inside:

Recipe:  Inspired Stamps SS-Blessed Little Christmas, Bazzill CS-blue, CTMH White Daisy CS, CTMH Ink-Moonstruck, Black & Buttercup, Spellbinders-Snowflake Pendant, Rhinestones.

Of course this technique will work with other dies that use the same 'sandwich' as Spellbinders...Memory Box, Cheery Lynn, Marianne Designs etc.

How To Partial Emboss - 

Making Frames Using An Embossing Folder

Card Sizes:  4.25" x 5.5"

There are embossing folders out there that have an embossed frame but we all have our favourite folders that we wished we could use.  Partial embossing is one way that you can use all your folders as frames.  I used Inspired Stamps Isaiah 41:10 for the front of my card.

Before I show you how partial embossing is done I need to show you a couple of different ways to achieve this.

Tim Holtz sells Embossing Diffusers, they come 3 in a pack.

You can also make your own using chipboard...I used chipboard that came with my Elmer's Glue sticks. If you make your own you will need a few shims because the homemade ones will probably be thinner than a B Plate.

The first thing you do is put the piece of cardstock you want to emboss in the embossing folder...don't forget to center it.  Then you are going to center the Diffuser on top of the folder.

Centered:

NOT centered:

Now you are going to put it through the Cuttlebug.  

Here's the 'sandwich':

(This is NOT how you will emboss your cardstock but just a photo illustration of the 'sandwich')

Stacking from the bottom up:

A Plate

Shim (if needed)

B Plate

Embossing Folder with cardstock inside

Embossing Diffuser

The Embossing Diffuser takes the place of the 2nd B Plate.

This is what you will have once you've embossed your cardstock.

I added a border using a fine black felt tip pen and pierced holes around it.

Inside:

Recipe:  Inspired Stamps SS-Isaiah 41:10, CTMH White Daisy CS, CTMH Black Ink, Bazzill CS-pink & light green, Craft Concepts Budding Vine EF, Tim Holtz Embossing Diffusers, Marianne Designs Flourish-LR0116, Martha Stewart Scroll Lace Border Punch, White Grosgrain Ribbon, Black Felt Pen, (Inside: Inspired Stamps SS-Spring Sketches, CTMH Inks-Black & Baby Pink).

Is there a way to add a border using a Spellbinders die?  Yes, again this is how I did it, there may be different methods out there.

Before you use the Diffuser, you are going to emboss your frame using the same method that we used in the very first example - How to emboss a design using a Spellbinders die.  Center your die, carefully turn your cardstock and die over and emboss. 

After you've embossed the oval remove the die and place your cardstock into your folder making sure it's centered.  Place the Diffuser on top making sure that the embossed oval is centered in Diffuser oval. Emboss in your Cuttlebug.

After you've removed your double embossed cardstock from the folder the intial oval embossing will be flattened slightly.  Place the oval die back onto the lines and use your fingers to re-imboss the oval.

Here's what your cardstock piece will look like after all the steps are completed:

Recipe:  Inspired Stamps SS-Isaiah 41:10, CTMH White Daisy CS, CTMH Black Ink, Bazzill CS-pink & light green, Craft Concepts Budding Vine EF, Tim Holtz Embossing Diffusers, Marianne Designs Flourish-LR0116, Martha Stewart Scroll Lace Border Punch, White Grosgrain Ribbon, Spellbinders Petite Ovals Lg.

NOTE:  Basic shapes work better as Diffusers.  Making and using Diffusers with detailed shapes like a scalloped oval or a lacy circle won't translate very well to your cardstock...although the finer your embossing folder pattern the more detailed the shape may be.

How To Emboss Spellbinders Using Embossing Folders

Card Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Have you ever wanted to emboss your Spellbinder dies and still keep a nice smooth edge?  I'll show you how you too can master this technique.  I used Inspired Stamps Tags 'Merry Christmas' sentiment for my card. 

The trick to embossing (or debossing - when the pattern goes INTO the cardstock instead of  'popping' out, and is easier to achieve a crisp look for this technique) is to use your folder AND the embossing mat.  You may wonder why not just use the folder like normal?  You'll ruin your folder if you try to emboss a Spellbinder in it.  

First you'll want to die-cut the shape you plan to use...leave the cardstock IN the die.

Next you're going to emboss your design in the Cuttlebug.

Here's the 'sandwich':

(This is NOT how you will emboss your cardstock but just a photo illustration of the 'sandwich')

Stacking from the bottom up:

A Plate

Shim (if needed)

Embossing Folder - Opened*

Spellbinders Die with cardstock already die-cut

Embossing Mat

C Plate

*It is very important to remember to leave your folder open or you will ruin it.

This is what you should have when you're done embossing

Here you can see that the Spellbinder 'protects' the fancy edges from being embossed by the folder.

Why don't you emboss the pattern like you normally would do?  I find that the smaller the pattern, the less detail the embossing mat can achieve - the mat is thicker and cannot 'push' into each hole.  Normally the embossing folder is closed and will 'push' the cardstock into each hole and achieve a very crisp emboss.

Here's the final piece without the die.

Inside:

Recipe:  Inspired Stamps SS-Tags, PP-BoBunny Elf Magic Mischief, CTMH CS-White Daisy, Kraft CS, CTMH Black Ink, Spellbinders-Floral Ovals & Create-a-Flake 5, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots EF, Paper Studio Snowflake Felt Brads, (Inside:  Inspired Stamps SS-Blessed Little Christmas, CTMH Black Ink).

This week I posted which Inspired Stamps stamp sets I used under each card, I decided it was easier that way since this is such a long post...I have the links there as well!

Inspired Stamps STORE.

Inspired Stamps BLOG.

Please join us tomorrow for some New Releases, and on Thursday for Chere's Tutorial, her link is in my sidebar.

Deneen