Stamp & Scratch Paper - with pigment ink

Stamp your image onto the Stamp & Scratch Paper with an Encore pigment ink pad. Heat it slightly, and then wipe it off. The coating on the paper will come away where the Encore ink was, and the colored paper shows through.

You Can Use Wrapping Paper!

When you´re looking for papers to use in layering your stamped images, don´t forget to look at the different wrapping papers that are available online and in your local stores.

Saving small cut pieces of paper!

Save the little pieces of paper, left over, when you use your fancy scissors to trim edges. If they are long enough, weave a few together to make a decorative piece to use on a card, or even on an envelope. Short ones can be used to make flower petals by glueing in a circle. I hate to throw anything paper away.

Xyron machine - what is it?

A Xyron machine is a piece of equipment very popular with stampers. It is a type of laminating machine (on a small scale) which has interchangeable cartridges. You can either just laminate normally or you can use an adhesive cartridge which allows you to add a layer of adhesive onto the back of any shape you want.

Put a surprise in every envelope!

Use some punches to create your own confetti to put into your envelopes before sending. It should put a smile into your card receiver´s day.

Using Glue For Layering

You can use glue for layering, however, it´s not my favourite method. I find that most glues will make the paper "pucker" up. I also hate having to wait around for the glue to dry - there´s always the danger of the layers "shifting" before the glue has dried. Also, some of the newer glues designed for scrapbooking aren´t permanent enough to hold the layers firmly.

Hot Glue Seals

You can create your own envelope seals by squeezing out a circle of hot glue onto the back of your envelope. Wait just a moment until it has set slightly and then press a stamped inked with metallic pigment ink into the glue. Leave until the glue has set and then remove the stamp.

Cutting your Layers - decorative scissors

These scissors have a shaped edge that cuts a shape into your card. They come in a variety of patterns and from a variety of companies. One of the most popular patterns is the Deckle Edge.

Cutting your paper - scalpel and matt

One way of cutting your paper/card is to use a craft scalpel along with a metal edged ruler and a self-healing cutting mat. This method can take a little practice before you master lining up the card and ruler and marks on the mat to get good straight edges, but it´s not too hard to do. Ask at your local craft store for a demonstration.

Don´t forget your envelopes!

Mail art is a genre in it´s own right. Now that you´ve stamped up a card or stationary, consider stamping your envelopes to coordinate!

Wallpaper for envelopes

Try cutting wallpaper for envelopes. Or just put a small piece on the front to decorate it. You can make it to match your card.

Sticking Your Layers Together

I have 2 favourite methods for sticking my layers together when making cards! The first is double-sided tape, and the second is a tape roller eg: Hermafix brand.

Freezer paper - what is it used for?

Freezer paper is used quite often in collage projects. It can be used to adhere small, light objects to your project eg: stamps, leaves, dried flowers...

You can use wrapping paper!

When you´re looking for papers to use in layering your stamped images, don´t forget to look at the different wrapping papers that are available online and in your local stores.

Freezer Paper - what is it?

Freezer paper is a type of paper with a thin coating of plastic on one side. When heated the paper will adhere to other surfaces, which makes it very useful in collage projects.

Use Wallpaper!

You can usually get out-of-date wallpaper books from home decorating stores. They are great for using with an envelope template to create very attractive and original envelopes.

Tearing Mulberry Paper

You want to achieve that lovely torn look with your mulberry/rice paper? Just take a small paintbrush dampened with water and run it along where you want the tear to be. Then carefull tear along the dampened line. Your paper will tear nice and easily!

How to Attach Vellum to Your Card

It is hard to attach vellum to a card front to prevent the glue/tape being seen. Best advise is to put a touch of glue/tape only in the spots that will be covered with something else eg: a ceramic heart etc. The other way to do it is to punch holes and attach the vellum to the card with ribbon.

Cutting your Layers - Fiskars Paper Trimmers

The Fiskars company put out a great selection of paper cutters which many stampers and scrapbookers find invaluable! My personal favourite is the 12" paper trimmer. These cutters are really just a new version of a guilotine and can guarantee a straight cut every time. They come with one replaceable blade and you can buy more blades. I´ve found that my blades last a long time!

How to attach vellum to your card

Vellum is notoriously hard to attach! There really is only a few options available:-

1. Punch holes and tie with ribbon/twine etc
2. Use those metal split pins to attach the layers (these come in silver, gold, bronze and now there´s also shapes available eg: hearts, stars etc)
3. Put the whole piece through a Xyron machine. This is a special machine that laminates and also has a cartridge that puts adhesive on the back of something. I understand that the adhesive works really well with vellum.
4. I´ve had a little bit of success using the Pritt brand of adhesive lately. It is called Pritt Roller permanent adhesive and comes in a red container. It is a tape type of adhesive that you roll onto your work. I find that it works pretty well just so long as you get a nice "run" of it and make sure to not touch the adhesive before sticking it down.

Make Your Own Envelopes!

Ok, you´ve made your card, and now it needs a special envelope to post it in! There are several templates that you can buy to help you make your own. There are also some great sites on the web to pick up free downloadable templates. Check out the "tips, techniques and free stuff on the web" area of this site´s links section for lots of great free-stuff resources.