Splitcoaststampers.com - the world's #1 papercrafting community
You're currently viewing Splitcoaststampers as a GUEST. We pride ourselves on being great hosts, but guests have limited access to some of our incredible artwork, our lively forums and other super cool features of the site! You can join our incredible papercrafting community at NO COST. So what are you waiting for?
Although this isn't technically about stamping, I usually stamp my sentiment even when I use pre-made embellishments so I guess this is where I post.
I've managed to accrue a lot of pre-made embellishments over the years, but almost never use them. I'm not even sure what I had in mind when I bought them. So, now I'm determined to turn a lot of these into cards but am stumped.
The types of embellishments I'm having trouble getting inspired by are pre-printed card stock embellies that often come in card kits by major manufacturers. They are flat, not textured, and are often packed in bags together with other, color coordinated ones. I've heard that card makers often cluster them and layer, to make a focal point, but everything I do looks so blah.
So do any of you use these to make cards, and if so, how do you approach a design? I spent two hours just staring at piles of little embellishments and moving them around on card bases, but didn't make a single card.
Thanks for any thoughts or tips.
Karen
Sure thing. These are what I mean. I have a lot of this type of flat embellishment, and many of them don't come with coordinating papers or anything else. When I combine them with stamped images, the results aren't satisfying because it makes the pre-made ones look out of place.
Maybe I'm just being too picky?
Karen
I think you could use some of those to decorate the inside of a card?
Hmmm, never even thought of that. I actually never decorate the insides of cards, and rarely even stamp a sentiment. The flat nature of these would work, but then I would have to coordinate with the front of the card as well. Maybe I can use more of them by decorating the front and the insides at the same time?
Karen
You can use them both inside and outside. When I use up the ones I have in my stash, I use dimensionals to pop them up on card fronts. You could cut out leaves and/or flowers to place around or under some of them so they stick out. . Or, just add one and add a ribbon or ribbon with a bow on it before putting the background paper onto the card base. Check out Pinterest hand crafted cards and you'll get some fantastic ideas ! Have fun creating cards and using up what you have in your stash !
Sure thing. These are what I mean. I have a lot of this type of flat embellishment, and many of them don't come with coordinating papers or anything else. When I combine them with stamped images, the results aren't satisfying because it makes the pre-made ones look out of place.
Maybe I'm just being too picky?
Karen
How about trying to combine with something other than stamping? Those bigger panels with the sentiments on, for example, might look good mounted as a focal point on an embossed background, just chose a folder that ties in with the theme of the embellishment. You could also try adding elements to both the embellishment and the card to tie them together - on the “you are my sunshine” panel, for example, you could add enamel dots to the flower centres and then use the same dots elsewhere on the card. You might even be able to stamp on some of them, the pastel stripe one with the notch at each end looks like a good candidate to have maybe something silhouette style stamped on it or you could cut out and pop up an image on top of it (I’m thinking cute critter, girly unicorn etc).
Since they are flat, many would likely be "improved" by dry embossing whether subtle or more textured. I think the rainbow, at least, would look great dry embossed. For those with sentiments, layer a piece of coordinating cardstock behind and fussy cut the mimic the shape.
Yes, I'd definitely work on both the parts and full cards at the same time to get that "goes with" look. Though there are only two, the postage shapes could "seal" an envelope or go in the spot for postage on a hand-delivered card. You have loads of opportunity, so have fun!
You are fine. Anything having to do with card making in general is fine here
I believe that is what is called Ephemera. I don't use them often, but many many people use them well. Think of it this way...instead of you stamping a sentiment and then die cutting it out after heat embossing it-it is already done for you.
Make some backgrounds and pop these up on them for very simple cards. Use a DP that goes via color family. You could use several solids in panels to tie in. Or use up scraps and do a strip BG on the diagonal. See if you can get that strip of colors blocks to go with a sentiment. You can make solids interesting as Joanne said by embossing them. You could do just water color washes in the same colors. You could brayer inks either loose or using a tape to create a sharp edge. Run a ribbon under it and wrap around.
Or stamp something pretty neutral like a bouquet of flowers for sentiments. You are my sunshine-do you have a rays stencil? You can stencil that on a card front and use that one popped.
Share the love looks likes it might separate? You could do popping layers. The frame flat, then the next one with one layer and the core sentiment with two on a solid card. Add a little glitter or ribbon under it. Good to go!
Lots of you tubes about this if you ask "HT use ephemera to make cards?"
here is a short one. Might give you ideas.
Most important, stop stressing. I find my creativity drops dead if I stress. Put on the radio and just casually look at the pieces and ideas may come to you
__________________ Margot
I am a proud fan club member
You can also ink them to change the colors if they don't work with other supplies that you have. Cut them, fold them, cut pieces out of them, stamp on them. It's all good. You've actually inspired me to use some of the ones I have. Thank you!
Wow, thank you everyone for those wonderful ideas! Great tip to do a search for card making with ephemera. I kept calling them die cut pieces, and getting no where. These are all pretty small , which is what causes me problems. Larger pieces are easier for me, because then I can put one down as an anchor and build up. These tiny shapes kind of drive me nuts, the way that tiny stickers used to be a challenge. Off to check out some videos, now that I know what to search for!
Karen
So glad I could help 😂😂😂😂😂😂 (in case they don’t show up, there’s a whole bunch of laughing with tears emojis after that, so everyone will know I’m kidding)
sorry, just getting back to this and it looks like the others have got you going in the right direction
I have seen Vicky Papaioannou do a lot of cards using die cuts/ephemera from card kits. She does an awesome job and it’s very inspiring. Sorry I don’t have an exact video to recommend, but if you check out her channel, just find the ones where she does “ kit” videos. Link to her channel is below. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbt...ohnP-sNaVGv-LQ
Do you make shaker cards? Maybe those tiny shapes would work in them? Wavejumpers idea using strips of paper glued on the diagonal with any premade pieces placed on a coordinated layer makes a fast and easy card. Doing that is very rewarding to me because it doesn't take a lot of thinking or prep!
have fun!
__________________ We can't all be stars but we can all twinkle.
Do you make shaker cards? Maybe those tiny shapes would work in them? Wavejumpers idea using strips of paper glued on the diagonal with any premade pieces placed on a coordinated layer makes a fast and easy card. Doing that is very rewarding to me because it doesn't take a lot of thinking or prep!
have fun!
No shaker cards here! I love the look, but they don't love me, haha!
Karen
So glad I could help 😂😂😂😂😂😂 (in case they don’t show up, there’s a whole bunch of laughing with tears emojis after that, so everyone will know I’m kidding)
sorry, just getting back to this and it looks like the others have got you going in the right direction
Yes, I'm actually floored by the number of suggestions and tips that have been posted. No excuse not to use these bits and pieces now. I think I'll spread a bunch of them out on my dining room table and look at them again. If I put them on my craft table, they'll be buried and lost forever!
Karen
You can also ink them to change the colors if they don't work with other supplies that you have. Cut them, fold them, cut pieces out of them, stamp on them. It's all good. You've actually inspired me to use some of the ones I have. Thank you!
I've done that with some of the larger pieces, or those that are in a color family or style that I already like (vintage, etc). The ones that always stump me are those images like flowers or garden designs that are only about an inch big. I guess I need stop thinking of them as card stock shapes and deal with them more like small flowers instead.
Karen
I have seen Vicky Papaioannou do a lot of cards using die cuts/ephemera from card kits. She does an awesome job and it’s very inspiring. Sorry I don’t have an exact video to recommend, but if you check out her channel, just find the ones where she does “ kit” videos. Link to her channel is below. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbt...ohnP-sNaVGv-LQ
I love Vicky's designs and follow her blog. I agree that her cards are gorgeous and maybe I should just try and CASE her cards first, and inspiration will follow! Thanks.
Karen
The other day, I made a mistake on a card. I decided to "fix" it by covering up the boo-boo with a pocket. Inside the pocket, I tucked a sentiment attached to a bit of string to make it a semi-interactive card. I could see some of those goodies as surprise messages or cute little tags.
The other day, I made a mistake on a card. I decided to "fix" it by covering up the boo-boo with a pocket. Inside the pocket, I tucked a sentiment attached to a bit of string to make it a semi-interactive card. I could see some of those goodies as surprise messages or cute little tags.
Oh, what a cute idea to add a tag with a string and make it interactive! Love this idea.
Karen
There is lots of great things you can do to enhance your ephemera. Use an ink and blend it over the piece to match the rest of the card or to soften the look. Ink the edges to make them blend as well. Use Stickles, Liquid Pearls or Nuvo Drops to embellish the piece. You don't have to just dot these products on, you can create lines and colour with them as well. Add rhinestones or pearls to circles or letters to help it to pop. Another thing I do is cover parts of it with glossy accents to highlight parts of it, again to make it pop or add extra interest. The newest thing I do to pieces like this is use Tim Holtz's Embossing dauber or markers ( Versamark also makes an embossing marker) and either cover the piece with the dauber or choose certain elements of it and then use Tim Holtz's Distress Embossing Glaze to enhance the piece. You heat emboss the Distress Glaze and what is so cool about the Glaze is that it is transparent. The piece only takes on the hint of colour from the glaze but you can still see the image clearly underneath. Lots of fun things you can do with ephemera. Let your imagination run wild!
I like to glue or pop dot the ephemera on solid color cardstock (I esp like black). Then I cut them out leaving appro 1/8 - 1/4" of the sold color as a frame. It makes them pop! Also inking them helps, too. You can use glitter glue to embellish to give them more shine.
I love using ephemera, it is so fun to put it all together, I thought I would share a card that I recently made using two different products and just put them all on a background that I lightly inked and using some rub ons with them, don't be afraid to use other products with them like dies, rubons stamps ect. Best day ever by Conniecrafter at Splitcoaststampers
I use a lot of those on tags. Mix them in with scraps and you can have a great huge variety of tags for all kinds of gifts. I even have a special box just for tags. And when I run out of those little cards and prepare embellish I sometimes use old pre made card fronts to obtain more.
Using pre-made embellishments on cards
