dry embossing - Right as Rain

My Embossing Folders Needed a System

Hello! I’m continuing my creativity reset, and this time I’m tackling my embossing folders. Like my background stamps, they’ve accumulated over the years, and they’ve ended up in a variety of places and configurations. As I sort through them, I’m trying to make them easier to find, which means giving them a system that makes sense to me.

I’m storing the folders by manufacturer and size, keeping 2D and 3D folders separate. For example, within the Spellbinders bins, I have A2-size folders, 2D large-format folders, 3D large-format folders, and kit club folders. The Taylored Expressions folders are shown below; they are all the same size. As I sort through all of my embossing folders, I am putting the fall-themed, Halloween, and Christmas ones towards the front of the bins.

I pulled out some seasonal cardstock colors and created swatch cards, then used several fall-themed embossing folders to create sample panels. If I don’t use the panels on cards, I can keep them with the folders as examples of the designs.

Embossing Folder Pros: Quick and easy; use cardstock you already have; add subtle texture that does not compete with the focal image; little mess; switch the cardstock color for a different look.

Embossing Folder Cons: Require an embossing machine; you need to know the correct machine “sandwich” for different folders; some folders work better on certain machines; folders take up storage space and can accumulate quickly; some designs are less versatile; and advanced techniques, like inking, add supplies and cleanup.

Do I need more? After sorting through my embossing folders and seeing what I already have, I’d have a hard time justifying the purchase of any more. Sometimes buying something new is easier than doing the less exciting work of sorting through what we already own. We see a card we love, decide we need the same supplies, and never stop to consider that we may already have something that would work just as well.

Taylored Expressions | Fall Farm Scene

There’s something especially satisfying about building a little scene on a card. For this farm-themed design, I pulled out older Taylored Expressions supplies (from 2016). I combined them to create a cozy farm scene with a pickup truck, pumpkins, a barn, a tractor, and a windmill. An embossing folder adds texture to the foreground, suggesting a hayfield. I used an Elizabeth Craft Designs sentiment stamped on a cloud. This card came together with supplies I already had, and I enjoyed creating a seasonal card.

Supply List
Taylored Expressions dies: On the Road – Truck, Cloud Duo, Build a Scene – Rolling Hills, Little Bits – Halloween Scene, Little Bits – Fall Harvest, Build a Scene – Farm Fence, Little Bits – Barn, Little Bits – Tractor, Little Bits – Windmill
Taylored Expressions Weathered embossing folder
Taylored Expressions cardstock: Cherry Pop, Candy Corn, Sweet Potato Pie, Pineapple, Sweet Basil, Blueberry, Earl Gray, Sugar Cube, Black Licorice
Elizabeth Craft Designs Autumn Words sentiment set

Fall Card Made with What I Already Have

Hello! As you may have read in my recent posts, I’ve been trying to approach cardmaking a little differently. Instead of looking for something new to make, I’m looking at what I already have with fresh eyes. I’m also trying to craft for the season I’m in. Right now, that means pulling out the autumn stamps, dies, and cardstock I already own and letting them inspire me. This card is a good example. The formula includes a stamped background, a dry-embossed panel, an oval mat, and a focal watering-can image.

As I organize my supplies, I’m pulling fall stamps and dies forward in their storage boxes, so I see and use them. The shift is helping me rediscover supplies I already own rather than automatically adding something new to the collection. It also ties into some of my recent thoughts about cardmaking mojo.

Supply List
Penny Black 51-766 Watering Can, 51-754 Pumpkin Parade,
51-360 Pumpkins & Leaves, 51-653 Autumn Décor dies
Spellbinders Fancy Edge Ovals dies
MFT tag die
Penny Black 65-012 Allover Stitches embossing folder
Taylored Expressions Buffalo Plaid background stamp
Hero Arts Message Strips stamp set
Taylored Expressions Toffee cardstock; Lawn Fawn Vanilla Malt cardstock; Bazzill Candy Corn cardstock; Bristol colored with Distress Oxide inks
VersaFine ink; Archival Potting Soil ink
May Arts twine

You can see that I used quite a few different supplies to make this card. But before you decide you need something new, take a look at what you already own. When I went through my blog posts, searching by keyword, I discovered that I have four different sets of medium-sized watering-can dies. Four! Clearly, I have enough watering cans.

What about you? What background stamp do you already own? An oval die? An embossing folder? A few seasonal images or embellishments that could change the look of a familiar design?

Sometimes, when you look at a finished card, you don’t immediately see everything that went into it. The background stamp, embossing folder, die-cut shape, or small supporting elements can be easy to overlook. That’s part of why I’m trying to look at my supplies differently and craft with what I already have.

Penny Black | Die-Cut Flowers

Hello! My first idea for this friendship and/or encouragement card, created with Penny Black supplies, was to watercolor the die cuts, inspired by Jill Foster’s beautiful watercoloring techniques. But I wasn’t happy with how my flowers were turning out, so I went back to one of my trusted techniques: die-cutting the five-petal flowers (Company of Flowers) and foliage (Ascending) and coloring them with Distress Oxide Inks.

I tucked the floral/foliage elements into the All-In-One Oval frame opening, which was backed with an inked and dry-embossed background (Encircle folder). The “Start This Day with a Smile” sentiment (Positivity) has its own coordinating die, which makes placement easy.

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Penny Black Petals | Polaroid Frame

Hello! I’m continuing my adventure through Penny Black’s Petals stamp set with a third card, this time giving another sweet image a Polaroid-style frame (Penny Black 51-057 Polaroid die set). The sentiment (30-562 Golden Dance stamp set) is stamped directly onto the frame, with patterned paper tucked behind it and the watercolored girl popped up on the front for added dimension. A dry-embossed background (Penny Black Texture embossing folder) adds another layer of subtle texture. It’s been fun rediscovering the joy of using an entire stamp set and seeing how each image can inspire a different design.

You can see my other cards with the stamp set HERE and HERE.

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