improvising with L LetterPress printing plates

L has come out with accessories for the QuicKutz Epic 6 Machine that let a crafter do home letterpress printing. Letterpress printing is basically relief printing of text or images; that is, the printed word or text is debossed--think engraved invitations. Sounded neat to me.

I did a little research. Their starter kit came with a platform, plates to which you adhere your various printing plates and attach your paper, black oil-based ink, another plate for holding ink, and a roller for rolling out that ink and applying it to the plates. It also came with some specialty paper which sounded a lot thicker than the usual card stock, even heavy weight card stocks. It was the paper that sounded like it was the key.

Well, I wasn't sure that letterpress printing was something that I really wanted to invest a lot of time or money in, so I decided to just see what the paper was like and maybe try one set of plates. I didn't buy the starter kit. I decided that I could improvise for now.

My apologies. I took these pics with my cell phone. I was in a hurry. My supplies included duct tape, Versafine ink, two clear Big Shot cutting plates, a sheet of letterpress paper, a damask printing plate and repositionable poster tape as well as a few pieces of painter's tape.

I attached the two cutting plates using the duct tape. Placed end to end as you can see above, I left a gap of about 1/4" between them. This made a hinge that allowed room for sandwiching the printing plate and paper between them. I used the straight edges of the painter's tape to mark the position of my paper.

In this photo you can see the paper placed on the plate in the foreground. The damask printing plate image has been adhered to the other plate with the poster tape.

Now, I tend to shy away from using my brayer. I just don't like dealing with having to get the ink evenly applied to it and then having to clean it up again later. I applied the ink directly onto the plate using the inkpad. It's probably not as even as it would have been had I rolled it out, but I think dealing with less mess is worth it. I used the Versafine ink because it's oil-based and because I like the detail that it picks up and the easy clean up.

I rolled the sandwich through my Big Shot using my multipurpose platform open to Tab 1. I thought it needed to be just a little tighter, so I added a shim--the Cuttlebug embossing folder backing material that I typically add. This is another time when it's best to start thin. These printing plates are made from a clear plastic that definitely feels like it could easily crack.

Here's how it looked when I opened up the sandwich. The debossing was nice and deep, but hard to appreciate just by looking, even in real life.

I thought I'd try running an uninked plate through the machine. That's the Thank You that's in the photo above.

I think the debossing is easier to appreciate now, despite the low quality of the photo.

So, this is a fun twist on traditional stamping and embossing. It's neat in that unlike the debossing that you can do with embossing folders, the back of the paper remains nice and flat. My method is admittedly full of ways in which things could go wrong. A real hinge on the plates to keep them nice and stable would be a big help. Not sure what the plates are like in the starter kit, but I've heard that there's a bit of play in them, so they don't sound quite perfect either. My poster tape method doesn't cover the entire back of the printing plate so it's possible that I'm not getting as even a deboss as if I used a sheet of adhesive over the whole thing. I'm sure that I wasn't able to apply the ink quite as evenly as I could have with a brayer. Like I said, I was willing to sacrifice that quality for this quick test. I also used a more crude method of keeping my paper in place. The starter kit comes with some paper positioners that sound sort of like rectangular pop dots. Since I was only running the image through in one color, I wasn't really worried about precise positioning. I think I could have safely used more painter's tape to hold the paper more steady without harming it though.

Bottom line? This was a fun technique to try. I think I'll definitely be using the plates for doing some debossing, inked and uninked. I haven't tried any other paper yet. Watercolor paper would be tempting. The thickness of the paper made for use with the LetterPress plates is key though. Makes a big difference and a beautiful result!

news for C'bug owners

If you're a crafter, this is a fun weekend! Most of us didn't make it to Anaheim for CHA, aka the Craft and Hobby Association Craft Supershow, but I've been having a fun time checking out blogs and updates on the new items coming out from various manufacturers.

Making Memories has a system for making the Slice a hands-off machine. It involves using a cutting pad that is glass on one side, an embossing surface on the other, and a metal plate sandwiched between. The metal allows the Slice to be affixed to the glass or embossing surface via magnets that are attached to a plastic collar that's fitted to the Slice's base. That was very slick design work! Looks like it works like a charm. I also read that they'll be releasing some colored pen attachments later this spring, which sound like fun, and there are new cards on the way as well.

Spellbinders already held their week of sneak peeks at their new dies. Some of those looked great!

The other items that caught my eye were the new embossing folders and dies made by Sizzix in association with Tim Holtz, his Alterations line. He has his own machine, too! It's electric and looks like a vintage suitcase--very cool. And Tim has new colors of Distress Inks being released, among many other fun things. Check out his blog for more details, but his embossing folders will not only have great designs but vary the depth of the embossing as well. Fun stuff! Love innovative ideas like that! These will be in the larger size of the usual Sizzix folders, too, so they'll emboss an entire A2 size card front.

What I saw just a little while ago is that ProvoCraft is finally catching up with some of the items that have been missing from their arsenal. They're coming out with some 12" border dies that look similar to the ones by QuicKutz, at least in the photos. They'll be releasing some dies that cut and emboss and that sound quite similar to the Sizzix Cut 'n Emboss dies. And they're finally making long cutting plates available--13" A and B plates, which is good news for those of you who want to use those long borders without having to make two passes or want to use the Sizzix XL Bigz dies without having to figure out how to resize the Sizzix plates to fit. For pure aesthetics, they're going to release the Cuttlebug in a couple of new colors, a red and a blue, both with flourishes. Sounds like the machine is otherwise unchanged. Then there will be a new batch of embossing folders released later this spring. I read most of this C'bug info on Pezadoodle's blog, so click over there to see her take on these and her photos as well.

Lots of fun stuff being released over the next few months! I just touched on some of the stuff that sounds intriguing to me. Hope you've been saving your pennies!

Edited to add: Just saw another video of Cuttlebug's new product that cuts & embosses. I shortchanged them. This line is called the Emboss Plus. These are A2 and probably 5 x 7 size folders, multilayered--they do cut and emboss in one pass. One layer can be peeled back so that the design can be inked (worked like a stencil). The flip side shows the image(s) of the design(s) on the folder. Looked like about 10 folder designs being released. Should be interesting!

two more Thanks edge punch cards

I mentioned in a comment on a previous post that I really like these new Martha Stewart edge punches. Fun designs and I like the idea of having a sentiment punch. It also doesn't hurt that these new punches also have the fold-up "wings" so that they're easier to store.

But on to the cards....


For this card I used the Martha Stewart Thanks edge punch on a 2 3/4" square piece of ruche paper. This is a thicker paper with wonderful texture. The die cut accent is from the Tulip Pendant set by Spellbinders. The decorative scoring on the card front was made using my Scor-It and Scor-It ruler to make the embossed and debossed lines in a diamond pattern.


I used the same punch on double-sided decorative cardstock this time, scored and folded so that I would have two edges for my sentiment. I offset the layers a bit with dimensionals which also left room for some Prima flowers. The embossing on the card front was made using one of the newer releases by QuicKutz, the polka dots A2 embossing folder. This is the folder with the larger dots, by the way, since for whatever reason QuicKutz decided to give the two polka dot pattern folders the same name.

I'm really enjoying the versatility of this edge punch. I know that people have had trouble punching through thicker card stocks with some of the Martha edge punches in the past. I've used this one without any trouble on Georgia Pacific 110# card stock. I haven't used anything thicker. I'll just add a caveat that punching text weight paper can be difficult because the letters can easily become caught in the punch if the paper does not happen to be cut cleanly or if the paper is bent or creased. And here I'd thought it was such a good idea to use scrap paper for a test run. Wrong! Anyway, those are just two more ways of using these new edge punches that I thought I'd share.

two more quick cards, no stamping involved

We're getting ready for school to start and have been busy with preparations and getting in all of those last minute tasks that we suddenly have little time left to finish.

In that spirit, I have two cards that were very quick to make. They involve embossing, but no stamping, so these were very fast and easy.


I used the QuicKutz 12" retro diamonds embossing folder for the bottom of this card. The sentiment is a Martha Stewart punch and I accented that strip of kraft card stock with the Spellbinders Scalloped Edge Petite borderability die.


For this card I used the Stampin' Up/Sizzix Finial Press textured impressions folder. I love this one! It's so pretty. Again, the sentiment is a Martha Stewart edge punch and I accented that with the Rose Border Petite Borderability die by Spellbinders.

I really like the look of the edge punches combined with the borderabilities dies. I think I'll have to do more experimenting to come up with more looks.

just dropping you... a post and a card

This is a card that I made with one of the new 12" QuicKutz border embossing folders. It's called circles. I think it's a fun design. I added the scored lines along each edge with my Scor-It. The stamped sentiment and image are by Inkadinkado and stamped with Memento London Fog dye ink. I colored the fish with a couple of Copic markers and added the texture with the colorless blender.

Oh, QuicKutz, why?

QuicKutz has released new embossing folders--another new set of about a dozen A2 size as well as some 12" borders with fun designs. Here's a card that I made with the A2 folder called flowers....


First off, as I said, the embossed background was made using the new QuicKutz flowers A2 embossing folder. The other die cuts were also made with QuicKutz dies, nested labels, I think they're called. The stamped image and sentiment are by Hampton Arts.

Now for my gripe--crafters already dislike the fact that these folders (and by "these" I'm referring to the QuicKutz and the Cuttlebug embossing folders) don't emboss the full front of an A2 size card. So far Sizzix is the only company that is getting this right with their textured impressions folders. But now QuicKutz has made things even worse--these embossed designs didn't even come close to covering an A2 sized space. The pale yellow layer in my card is A2 size. The darker yellow is the embossed area created by the flowers folder--came out to 4 X 5 inches before I sliced it up and punched holes in it. That's why I had to be a little more creative about how I used the embossed design. I had some room to make up on my card front!

I haven't looked closely at my other folders yet. I will. Right now I'm a bit disappointed in that some of these folder manufacturers seem to be headed in the wrong direction. First ProvoCraft placed their designs closer to the fold in their latest release, making it tougher to center the design nicely on a card front. Now QuicKutz is making the embossed area within the folder even smaller and not in symmetric fashion. ARGH! I guess we'll just have to keep wishing for the best and having to be creative with how we use these, eh? I still love using embossing folders, despite their flaws. *insert dramatic sigh* :-)

It's a special day!

You may have guessed, eh? It's IndigoInklings' 3 year blog-aversary! Yes, it was three years ago that I made my first post here on Blogger. I did it on a whim, never expecting that I'd still be at it years later. I'd started this blog as a way to keep track of cards that I made and how I'd made them. I'd never expected to gain any kind of readership, and things did start out slowly. For quite a while I posted, mainly for myself. After a while I became curious and added a counter, just to see if anyone ever stopped by. I was getting the occasional visitor and the occasional comment. Things really picked up though when I started posting cards that I'd made using Cuttlebug embossing folders in ways other than the traditional put-the-card-stock-in-the-folder-and-roll-it-through method. There was an interest in that and in reviews of tools and punches. People seemed to like the photos and step-by-step instructions for various techniques using dies, texture plates, embossing folders, brass stencils etc in the Big Shot, the Cuttlebug, the original Sizzix.

And so, here I am, three years later, still playing with die cutting machines and their accessories and making cards. I owe part of my motivation to the fact that I know that there are folks who like to come by and visit, so thank you! :-) I still do this mostly for me though. It's a way to relax and is just plain fun!

From time to time I do a recap. It feels like it's time to do that again. I'm going to approach it from the standpoint of crafting. Some of this will be obvious if you've stopped by here before. Some will be first time revelations. Hey, I had to have something new, eh? Here goes....

Die cutting machine: Big Shot, Cuttlebug, original Sizzix--I own all three. I like the Big Shot better by far. I won't get into the pros and cons since I've discussed that elsewhere. I doubt I'll be test-driving the Big Shot Express--I do too much experimenting and would probably break it. I'm passing on the QuicKutz Epic 6, too. Can't see that it offers anything that makes me want to replace my Big Shot.

Card stock: I use Georgia Pacific quite often. I like Neenah or Paper Trey when I want to use good stuff.

Inks: Memento dye inks are the first that I reach for these days. So versatile and I love the colors! I prefer Versafine when I'm really looking for fine details. Nothing beats alcohol inks for polished stone though. Stewart Superior's India Ink is my favorite black ink.

Coloring: I have a few Copics and Prismacolor markers and use them rarely. I like the look of the magic colored pencil technique, but don't use that often either. I've found that I actually don't color much if I can avoid it. LOL!

Dies: I find that when I want to make a die cut these days, I'll put out a folder of Spellbinders dies. They have so many shapes and sizes. They're versatile in that you can emboss with them or stencil with them. Can't beat the Bigz and original Sizzix dies though for cutting through stuff that's thicker than card stock. And the XL Bigz dies can make some really fun stuff. I don't use Cuttlebug dies very often.

Embossing: I like dry embossing. I think that's because I tend to be impatient. I think that's also the reason why I like embossing folders so much. Cuttlebug folders are great due to the sheer number of designs that they offer. Sizzix has the plus of covering a greater area, not to mention that they're packaged in coordinated sets. QuicKutz are similar to the C'bug folders, but I've found that there can be issues with the front and back of the folder aligning properly. Love their big border folders though! Texture plates and Fiskars are fun, so long as you know what to expect--texture, not deep crisp embossing. For the price, these folders all pack a lot of punch. They can be used in a lot of different ways. Just check out my sidebar to see! :-)

Punches: Most of the punches that I buy these days are border punches. The slim design punches by EK Success are my current favorites. Love the designs and the fact that they're more compact. That's not to say that I'm tossing out my Fiskars or Martha Stewart punches though.

Stamps: I used to be a red rubber stamper all the way. I've since unmounted all of my wood mounteds and I actually reach for clear stamps first. Again, ease of use and easy storage are big reasons. Clears and Memento inks seem made for each other, too.

Paper cutter: Making Memories paper trimmer and the 6" base Tonic guillotine cutters are what I use most often. Exacto and a ruler for thicker stuff. Tim Holtz scissors for rubber.

Scoring: I'm a long-time Scor-It user. I'll admit it. I love the look of the scores. After hearing so much about the Scor-Pal, I had to try it. Here's what I found....

In the photos, the Scor-It scored card stock is on the left and the Scor-Pal scored card stock is on the right.

Here a light source was aimed from bottom left to highlight the scoring.

To be fair, I aimed the light from bottom right this time.

The angle washed out some of the scores, so this time I aimed the light more directly from right to left.

This time the light was aimed from left to right.

To my eye, even without the extra light, the scores made using the Scor-It were more distinct and deep. Having become used to the looks of the scores made by the Scor-It over the years, the Scor-Pal scores don't quite measure up. To me it'd be similar to the difference between an image embossed using embossing folder with vs without a shim. I happen to prefer the more crisp embossing. Other folks may be fine with less crisp. I'll say that for making multiple scores that line up with the Scor-Pal lines, the embossing goes more quickly. That's an advantage. (I'm still tempted to redo those lines with my Scor-It though.) With the addition of the Scor-It ruler to the arsenal, the Scor-It definitely becomes more accurate and versatile, if still perhaps not as quick--and that has more to do with the user though, eh? I'm going with quality of score and still pull out the Scor-It. Love those fun starburst and light beam patterns! Plus I'm not much into box-making. Scor-Pal is good for that sort of thing.

Adhesives: I'm a long time ATG user, the 1/4" tape variety. I use the Scotch 714 and have never had any trouble with the gun or the adhesive. I have small hands and find it very easy to use--I only say this because its size always scares people. I'm not sure why. If you look at the handle, it's quite a manageable size--it's not like you're wrapping your hand around the entire ATG, eh? It's lightweight and balanced nicely. Can't beat the price for the amount of adhesive that you get either. It's by far the most economical and most eco-friendly to boot.

What some folks hate, and what is a disadvantage for lefties, is the fact that the tape runs along the left edge of the roller. I like that! The photo above shows what I see as I sit holding the gun with my wrist in a nice comfortable neutral position. I can see exactly where I'll be laying that tape down as I pull the gun toward me. That means that I can place the tape right along the edge of my layer and I have no trouble stopping right at the edge either.

This is a view of the Glue Glider Pro. I picked it up when it was on sale at Hobby Lobby. I'd heard so many glowing reviews that I couldn't resist trying it. Smaller and lighter. Okay. Not big selling points since I don't have size issues with the ATG. Tape unwinds toward the right edge of the roller as I've indicated above.

Okay. I tried a number of ways to try to accurately see where I'd be laying my tape down. If I leaned over the top of the Glue Glider and looked backward toward the roller, I could get a fair idea. Didn't work for a good camera shot, not to mention that it was uncomfortable. So, in the photo above, I tried to get a look from the side. Still couldn't see just where the tape was. This was also awkward as far as either having to twist my wrist or lean to the left.

Here I finally just set the roller on the card stock. I'm a bit puzzled about all of the glowing reviews. The adhesive is very good! I'm not impressed by the delivery though. More often than not, the adhesive ran off the edge or too far. Not a biggie to fold it back, but an aggravation. I like my tools to make life easier for me, not more frustrating. ATG wins easily. I like Tombow Quickie glue pen for small die cut letters etc.

As for my card, the sentiment was made using the QuicKutz String Bean border alphabet. The embossed background is the Cuttlebug Number Collage embossing folder. Both were rolled through my Big Shot. The decorative starburst scoring was made using my Scor-It and the Scor-It ruler. I used my ATG to glue everything down except for the letters--I used my Quickie glue pen for those. LOTS of my faves used in the making of that card.

That covers my recap and musings as I reflect over the past three years of blogging. Thanks to all of you who read or follow me here regularly. Thanks to those of you who've taken the time to comment, too. It's appreciated. Plus, then I don't feel so weird talking to myself. :-) To celebrate properly, I'll be hosting three giveaways. I'll make new posts for those. Seems right to have three of them, so stay tuned. I'll put the first one up when I get a chance to take some pics and get them uploaded. I think you all should get to celebrate, too! :-)

two more cards

I made two more cards today using some of the newly released Cuttlebug folders.

For this first card I embossed some navy ruche paper with the new Fleur de lis diamonds folder. I then sprayed that with some Coffee Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels for some added sparkle. The stamped sentiment is by Hero Arts and stamped using Memento dye inks. The Eiffel Tower die cut was made using a QuicKutz die.

For this card I decided to go long, narrow, and monochromatic. I used the new Stars embossing folder for this one. The USA die cut is by QuicKutz and I set it off by popping it up off the card front. The decorative scores were made using the Scor-It.

By the way, it looks like HSN (Home Shopping Network) is currently sold out of the new bundle of embossing folders. It was a special event sale, so I'm not sure if they'll offer them at that price again. From what it sounds like, the folders went very quickly. I know that there are quite a few online vendors who are taking preorders on these folders, so they should be more widely available once they're officially released.

Guest Design Spot: flower pounding

Please note: this article was originally published on the Cuttlebug Challenge blog. I think enough time has passed that I'm publishing it here as well so that it can go out to my email subscribers and be linked along with my other tutorials.

Hello everyone! This is Jay from IndigoInklings dropping by for another visit this month at Maggie's request. Recently I read about a technique that was done using the Wizard by Spellbinders. It's called flower pounding. Flower pounding itself isn't new. As you might guess, it's been done using a hammer or a mallet and a nice flat solid surface. Flowers were placed atop paper and pounded to release and transfer the pigment. What was different was that this was done with less effort (and noise!) by using a die cutting machine. I decided to adapt this technique for the Cuttlebug and share it here.

Now thankfully, this time of year there are lots of flowers in my backyard. These are a few that I picked just for this project. Love the wonderful variety of shapes, textures, and colors!

What you need to have on hand for flower pounding, besides some fresh flowers, are your Cuttlebug machine and plates and some card stock or water color paper. What I did was cut the sheets in half and then fold each half in half to make a folder. There's no need to be neat about this. I know my Scor-It is in the photo, but it was there primarily to be a nice backdrop.

Here is the sandwich that I used for flower pounding: A, B, and C plates, with the flowers placed inside the folder. I've found that the side that releases most of the pigment is the face of the flower, so if you don't use a folder, then put the bloom face down onto your card stock, then cover it with a layer of scrap paper before sandwiching it and putting it through.

Here you can see that I did place the folder between the plates before rolling it through. You can also see why I used a folder. This can be a juicy project. Depending on what type of flower you use, it can be really juicy! This is why I mentioned that water color paper would also be a good option.

This is what it looked like when I opened up the folder. You can see that pigment has been transferred from these shrub rose blooms to the card stock.

This is how it looked after I peeled the flower petals etc away. Both sides of the folder are potentially usable, so that's another neat thing.

Here is the same sandwich, different flowers. These were much thinner than the first blooms. I had a shim handy, just in case it looked like the blooms needed to be squeezed harder, but I didn't need it. It's a good idea to have at least one or two of them close by though.

Again, here is the folder opened up.

And this is the design that's left once the flowers are removed. You can gently rub the flowers off with a finger. Often you can peel up an edge of a petal with a fingernail then pull it off the rest of the way. I found that using a scrap piece of card stock as a scraper worked nicely, too.

This is one more example with a Bachelor Button. I used watercolor paper for this one. I've had a lot of moisture get forced out of this type of flower before, so I learned from that!

This is one side of the outside of the folder after rolling it through.

This is the other side. I really liked the colors and the delicate look.

Here is the folder opened up. The flower was squeezed from the top then down toward the stem. This is why I also tended to place my flowers near the edge of the folder that would be going through the machine first. Think of the Cuttlebug as a wringer with all of the pigment and moisture getting squeezed out and forced along as the bloom moves between the rollers. It's much less messy to have excess folder at the trailing edge to catch all of that. Yes, as you might guess, that's the voice of experience. :-)

This is one side with the flower parts removed.

This is the other side. The amount of pigment left by the flowers can be impressive. And don't discount the stems and leaves, or the stamen and the pollen. They can all leave color, shapes, and texture behind.

This is a card made with flower pounded shrub roses. Notice the bright yellow that was transferred from the pollen. You might recognize the scalloped QuicKutz border embossing folder that I used as the background for their layer. The sentiment is by Hero Arts and was stamped using Memento dye ink.

Since the pounded Yellow Loosestrife blooms left behind an image so reminiscent of stars, I paired them with the above sentiment from The Little Prince made by Silver Crow Creations, and I added some QuicKutz die cut flourishes.

The focus of this card is that Bachelor Button "image" that was on the outside of the folder. As I said, the delicate look appealed to me and I wanted to go with something more subtle. The stamped sentiment is by Hampton Art Stamps and I added the score lines using my Scor-It.

I made this last card using one of the images made with a shrub rose bloom. I cut and embossed it using Spellbinders Nestabilities dies and layered it on top of white card stock with some decorative scoring that I again made using my Scor-It. The decorative edges were made using the Fiskars Upper Crest border punch. The sentiment is by Hero Arts and was stamped using white craft ink.

So, no tips or tricks using embossing folders this time, but I hope that I've inspired you to try a technique that doesn't get much more complicated than going outside and picking some flowers. I've found that fresh blooms work better, by the way. Again, it's that voice of experience. :-) And for those of you who are Big Shot users, or even owners of the original red Sizzix machine, click on over to my blog where I've described how to flower pound using those die cutters.

Have a good day everyone! Enjoy your weekends! And be sure to have fun checking out all of the special features that will be published on this blog in the upcoming days. :-)

Guest Designer Spot: let's talk about embossing folders

Please note: this article was originally published on the Cuttlebug Challenge blog. I think enough time has passed that I'm publishing it here as well so that it can go out to my email subscribers and be linked along with my other tutorials.

Hi, this is Jay from IndigoInklings, and I'm back for one of my monthly Guest Designer visits. I thought it would be fun to talk briefly about using other manufacturers' embossing folders with the Cuttlebug, and talk in more detail about the new QuicKutz border embossing folders and how to use them with the Cuttlebug.

I think everyone is familiar with the Cuttlebug embossing folders by ProvoCraft. Sizzix was the next to come out with embossing folders, and QuicKutz has been the most recent to begin producing these.


For now you'll have to trust me that there is one of each brand of A2 folder in the photo above. The ProvoCraft is on top, the QuicKutz next, and the Sizzix on the bottom. What I want to show is that the Sizzix folks listened to crafters and made their folders just a bit wider so that their designs truly cover the entire front of an A2 size card.


Okay, see? There they are. The QuicKutz has the distinctive blue tint.


Just wanted to give you a side view of the folders. They're similar in thickness, but I'll just remind you that if you're not getting as crisp and clear an emboss as you'd like, gradually add thin shims until you're happy with what you're seeing--then make a note of it for next time.


Here is a typical set of Sizzix embossing folders. They sell their product in sets--the folders are usually of varying sizes but the designs are coordinated so that they can be used in combination on a card front or layout.


This is a sampling of QuicKutz embossing folders. They have the A2 size, the 2x2 inch size, and they have the large 2x12 inch border folders. The borders and A2 folders are sold individually; the 2x2's are sold in sets, like the small ProvoCraft folders.

All of these folders can be used with the Cuttlebug machine. I use the same sandwich for the Sizzix and QuicKutz folders that I do for the ProvoCraft Cuttlebug folders.

That's my quick overview of the embossing folders currently out on the market. Now I'd like to talk in more detil about the QuicKutz border folders.


First off, yes, they can be used in the Cuttlebug. (They can be used in the Big Shot, too, but I'll mainly stick to descriptions for the C'bug here.) The sandwich is the same one that you'd normally use for ProvoCraft embossing folders: A plate, B plate, embossing folder with card stock inside, B plate. It's the length of these folders that make using them a little tricky, but that's only because you have to put the sandwich through twice to emboss the full length.


Here's how I made my first pass. I staggered the stack just a bit. This makes it a little easier to feed it through.


Here's how it looks so far.


Now I've moved the plates to the other end of the folder and I'm going to go ahead and just feed that unsandwiched end through first. It's always a good idea to lead with the folded edge if possible. I staggered the plates just a bit again, too.


Here's the full length of the embossed card stock.


And since I think I actually showed the debossed side up there, here's the other side. :-)

Quick aside for Big Shot users: you can do the same with your machine, just use the multipurpose platform on either No Tabs (what I use) or Tab 1, and sandwich the folder between the clear cutting plates as you normally would.

Now a simpler way to accomplish the same thing would be to use the Sizzix extended platform and the cutting plates that are made for use with the Sizzix decorative border dies.


Here you see the extended platform that I was talking about.


It is conveniently very close to the same thickness as the A plate. Big Shot users, you could use this instead of the multipurpose platform.


So the stack/sandwich is: extended platform, extended cutting plate, border embossing folder with card stock inside, extended cutting plate. Roll it through.


Voila! One pass. Easy peasy. I wouldn't recommend buying these items just for this, but if you happen to have them or come across them on clearance or something somewhere, it does simplify things.

But you know, why stop at just embossing these borders the regular way? We crafters like to innovate, right? Let's take things a step farther.


Here I have 4 one inch wide strips of chipboard that I wish were 12" long rather than the 11" that they were in reality. Through the magic of the internet though, it can seem like they were 12" long and it can look like I did the following in one pass. LOL!


In the photo above, I removed the extended cutting plate that had been on the bottom, put the previously embossed card stock that I showed you into a different border folder (one with a line of large dots that happen to be one inch wide), and placed it directly onto the platform. I placed my stack of chipboard strips on top of the circle designs, topped that with an extended cutting plate, and ran it through the machine.


Here's how that piece of embossed card stock looked after that. By the way, I used the chipboard to keep from flattening out the original embossing--a form of selective embossing, eh? This is one of the ways that I've described on my blog for avoiding those unsightly folder lines. In the same way that I don't like to have stray marks made by folder edges, sometimes I don't want to flatten out existing embossing either. This is how I choose where I'd like the pressure to be applied to a folder so that I can avoid flattening embossed images if I don't have to.


You can also embellish the plain scalloped border this way.

So, these border embossing folders would be a fun way to embellish scrapbook layouts. They're a true 12" length, though the widths of the designs vary.

I thought that you might like to see that these can be used for card-making, too, so here are some cards that I worked up.


For this card I used the QuicKutz scalloped border and the QK dots border embossing folders. The stamped images are by Chatterbox and stamped using Memento dye inks. The embellishments are by Hero Arts.


The QuicKutz border for this card is the scallops and dots. The flowers are by Bazzill and Prima. The sentiment is by Amuse Artistamps.


I did a little something different on this card. I embossed it with the A2 damask embossing folder by Sizzix. You can see how it embossed the entire card front. I embossed over that with the QuicKutz scalloped border which left a faint impression of the original embossing. I didn't do it justice in the photo, but looking at it in real life, it almost looks like there's a scalloped border vellum overlay on the card. The sentiment is by My Sentiments Exactly and was stamped using Memento ink. The punched embellishments were made using the EK Success Black-Eyed Susan Punch & Stamp set and Memento inks.


For this last card I wanted to show that you can use other border folders in combination with the QuicKutz borders. This is the QK scallops and dots combined with one of the Cuttlebug Just My Type border folders. I added the scored lines using my Scor-It to set off that border design a bit more. The sentiment is by Hero Arts and stamped using Memento ink. The stick pin embellishment is by Maya Road.

I hope that gives you some useful information regarding all of these embossing folders that have become available recently. I also hope that I've given you a bit of inspiration as far as some fun ways in which some of these new border folders can be used both individually and in combination to dress up cards quickly and easily. If I managed to inspire you, I love hearing about it and seeing what you've made. Feel free to leave a link here or on my blog so that I can take a peek and be inspired by your creativity, too. :-)

Thanks, and I'll see you next time!