Vellum Three Ways

The Group of Seven Cardmakers are focusing on vellum with embossing (dry, wet, or heat) this month.  I've chosen to only use dry and heat.

My first card is just a simple embossed frame on my piece of vellum, with the texture of the embossing remaining quite subtle.

I love this embossed snowflake frame - I have so many stamps that will fit in it.  I used quite a heavy weight vellum as it takes the embossing folder better.  I stamped the bird and sentiment on the front of the embossed piece, and then coloured it on the back with alcohol markers.  I added the whole panel to a double sided adhesive sheet in order to adhere it to the card base.

This next card is my favourite of the three.  Again it uses an embossing folder but by colouring it on the back with Distress inks, I was able to make the embossing show up more.

Again I used a heavy weight vellum.  But this time I used a 3D embossing folder and I had some cracking around the edges.  So trimmed the panel down to get rid of the cracked sections.  I sponged on the back of it with two shades of blue Distress inks - the raised parts of the vellum on the front remain uncoloured so really stand out.  To get more of the translucent feel of the vellum, I die cut the pierced frame die four times, glued three of them together and put the vellum panel on top of them, and then topped it with the fourth die cut - this made the vellum stand up more from the card base.  I added a tiny sentiment, stamped and die cut with a tiny tag die.

My third card uses heat embossing on the vellum.

I ran the vellum through a corner embossing folder and then rubbed lightly over the raised parts with Versamark.  I added sparkly white embossing powder, got my heat tool warmed up and then moved it quickly back and forth over the vellum.  I stamped the sentiment and used the same embossing powder on it.  I cut a frame for it with two rectangular dies out of white glitter cs.  When I first put it against a white card base, the embossing just disappeared against the white so I end up backing the vellum panel with a bit of grey/beige cs to provide some contrast with the white heat embossing.  Then when I put it against the white card base, there was too much contrast.  So I ended up going with a card base made from cs that's colour is called "chalk".

Head on over to the Group of Seven Cardmakers blog to see more examples from the other members and links to some instructional videos covering these techniques.  And feel free to try them yourselves and link up your card to Group of Seven for more inspiration for everyone.

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Nellie Snellen bird, SSS sentiment
Ink - SSS Intense Black
Paper - vellum, off white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Ultimate Crafts snowflake frame embossing folder, alcohol markers, double sided adhesive sheet

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Rubber Soul let it snow
Ink - Distress Faded Jeans and Chipped Sapphire
Paper - vellum, white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - SSS 3D snowflake embossing folder, tiny tag die, MFT pierced rectangle frame die

Supplies for card 3:
Stamps - Hero Arts sentiment
Ink - Versamark
Paper - vellum, grey/beige cs, chalk cs, SU white glitter cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Cuttlebug snowflake swirl corner embossing folder, Judikins white diamond embossing powder, Spellbinders rectangle dies