Setting the Stage with Your Card Backgrounds

Hello, crafty friends! I’m Adrienne Boese, better known as Alice Scraps Wonderland online. The Birthday Bash collection from Simon Hurley has several fun embossing folders, so for this set of cards, I wanted to create three different backgrounds using the embossing folders.

The goal with each of these embossed backgrounds is to set the stage for all of the other elements on the card. I’ll be taking you from the simplest to the most complex embossing folder uses, but along the way, I’ll be giving you my design tips to create balanced cards that impress!

Die Cut Balloons Card

The simplest form of creating a background with an embossing folder is to simply emboss your cardstock and leave it at that. With so many fancy techniques out there, I feel this look is often forgotten about. However, this simple background allows for the most complex embellishments on top, such as multiple layered die cuts.

Send the Plaster 3D embossing folder through your Platinum machine with some Snowdrift cardstock, then trim to an A2 card size.
Die cut the Mylar Balloons Etched Dies from Gold Foil Cardstock, as well as the Sage Green, Barely Peach, and Peach Sorbet cardstocks.
Die cut a number from the Be Bold Lowercase Alphabet and Numbers die set.
Glue your die-cut layers together with liquid glue then assemble a little bunch on your embossed card base using foam adhesive.
Using the Birthday Sentiments Glimmer Hot Foil Plate and your Glimmer platform, hot foil Gold Foil sentiments.
Die cut your foiled sentiments with the matching die, then pop a sentiment on your card.
Add a few Peach Blush Gems.

Tip: Use liquid adhesive to adhere the balloon strings at the bottom of the card in place, then trim off the excess with some scissors. This will keep these delicate die cuts from getting damaged.

Water Colored BetterPress Card

We are stepping our embossed background up just a small notch with some ink. This will still allow us to have busier embellishments and layers on top. When water coloring in your BetterPress background, remember to leave plenty of uncolored areas. This will serve as your white space that helps balance out your card.

Send the Flourish 3D embossing folder through your Platinum machine with some Peach Sorbet cardstock, then trim to an A2 card size.
Lightly rub your favorite white ink pad over the highlights of the embossed background.
Using your BetterPress and Black BetterPress Ink, letterpress the Birthday Bash Press Plate onto an A2 Cotton BetterPress panel.
Watercolor your BetterPress background using 2 coordinating ink colors.
Fussy cut the center out of the BetterPress background and add it to your card base using foam adhesive.
Cut a Mylar Balloon, glue it together, and add it to the center of your card.
Die cut the word “party” from the Be Bold Lowercase Alphabet and Numbers set from Gold Foil and Barely Peach cardstocks. Glue the gold on top of the peach, creating a drop shadow with the peach cuts.
Glue the sentiment down to the card and pop on a few gems.

Tip: To add shading to your watercolored background, create a lighter layer of color first. After that layer of ink dries, go back and add a deeper wash of the color where you think there would be shadows. Remember, the less water, the cark your ink color!

Stenciled Balloon Card

The final card has the most complex background with multiple colors. Because the background is more complex, we want simpler embellishments. For this card, a few hot-filed sentiments and some gems are all you need to make a statement.

Send the Party Balloons 3D embossing folder through your Platinum machine with some Snowdrift cardstock.
Using the coordinating Layered Party Balloons Stencil, add color to the balloons with your favorite inks.
Apply some small splashes of Splatter White to the background for a more distressed look.
Trim the background down by ¼” on each side then attach to a piece of A2 sized Barely Peach Cardstock.
Pop on a couple of the other hot-foiled sentiments you have left over from the first card.
Add a few gems.

Tip: Embossing first then stenciling with foam blending tools will allow the texture of the mylar balloons to show through—just don’t press very hard with your foam blender while adding ink!

All three of these embossing folder techniques are “oldies but goodies” but I hope that seeing the 3 different levels of complex backgrounds paired with varying levels of embellishments helps illustrate how to achieve balanced cards. Remember, the more complex the background, the simpler your embellishments should be, and vice versa. Until next time, happy crafting!

Adrienne

Spellbinders Supplies:

Other Supplies

Saltwater Taffy Distress Oxide Ink, Bundled Sage Distress Oxide Ink, Scrapbook.com White Pigment Ink, Scrapbook.com Domed Foam Blending Tool, Scrapbook.com Artis Liquid Glue, Scrapbook.com various foam adhesive